Temporary Partnership
by Dramione13
Summary: AU. Draco catches Hermione doing something a Head Girl shouldn't be doing. He blackmails her into pretending to be his girlfriend to get Pansy off his back. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Hey everyone! Wow, it feels like forever since I last posted anything worthwhile on here sans yesterday's post. :P As I mentioned in the mini-shot, I do apologize for practically falling off the face of the earth. BUT IT WAS FOR A GOOD REASON! AND HERE IT IS! :D

For the last couple of months this summer, I've been working on a fanfic for the Hawthorn & Vine (H&V) Treasured Tropes celebration. It is actually my first piece I've ever written for a"competition" that was on a specific timeframe, thus the reason why I didn't update my other fics. I wanted to focus soley on this project so I could finish and submit before the due date. Thankfully, despite getting occasional writer's block and wanting to pull my hair out, I finished. However, that was half the work. Despite turning it in, I still had to wait until H&V posted it on their site before I could share it anywhere else. Believe me, this part was actually a bit of agony. My fingers itched to post it here ASAP since it is finished but I had to wait. I didn't want to get in trouble. And so, while I waited, I repeated myself that infamous proverbial,"patience is a virtue" as I bounced my knees under the table and tried to distract the itch off my fingers. BUT IT PAYED OFF! Because today, it was finally posted! :D

So, without further ado, here is a new fic I humbly present to you all. It's based on a prompt that scarlettcat from H&V suggested. I hope you all find it as enjoyable as I did writing it. I will be posting two chapters every other day, so you won't get overwhelmed over here (it's 8 chapters long). Further details on the fanfic are posted below.

BY THE WAY, my good friend Wirda(contra1veritas) on tumblr made an awesome banner for it. If you want to see it, go here: i1163 . photobucket albums / q550 / Dramione13 / TP . jpg(just close the gaps between the link)

OK, I'm done babbling. **ENJOY!** :D

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_**Details from the H&V website:**_

**Summary:** Prompt idea from scarlettcat: "Draco catches Hermione doing something a Head Girl shouldn't be doing. He blackmails her into pretending to be his girlfriend to get Pansy off his back."  
**Genre(s):** Alternate Universe, Drama, Angst, Humour, Romance  
**Warning(s):** Implicit Sexual Situations, Mild Profanity  
**Timeline:** Year 8

**Characters:** Pansy Parkinson, Terry Boot, Ginny Weasley, Ron Weasley, Harry Potter, Blaise Zabini, Theo Nott  
**Themes:** Blackmail, Forced Partnership, Jealousy, Unrequited Love  
**Hermione:** Know-It-All, Blushing Virgin, Feisty  
**Draco:** Broody, Manipulative, Snarky, Sex God  
**Side Pairings:** Draco/Pansy  
**Submission Notes:** scarlettcat, I hope I did this ok and that you like it! It was so much fun to write. And many thanks to my beta, swirlsofblack! You have been amazing throughout it all. I can't thank you enough for your patience with me and for all your hard work! It is VERY MUCH appreciated :)  
**Beta(s):** swirlsofblack

**Disclaimer: **J.K. Rowling owns it all. I only somewhat own this plot.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

It was getting close to midnight when Draco was rounding the dungeons for the last time. He was rather happy that he was doing his prefect rounds by himself. Or else the unfortunate person that would have been paired with him would have found themselves at the receiving end of Draco's bad mood. But then again, what else was new?

That day had not been a great one for Draco. Since his return to school after the war, everyone had more or less treated him like a pariah. And despite having some friends return back with him that year, he still had the issue of dealing with his ever-clingy girlfriend Pansy. Ex-girlfriend, actually.

Not a day went by when that sad excuse of a woman would corner him, smother him or try to hint that they should get married. Of all the women he had been with, she had been the one to suffocate him every day. And he was getting sick of it-fast.

He didn't know what else he could do. He had already been politely declined her advances and had even been blunt and mean. Yet, she kept coming back or making a scene which in turn made him cave and deal with her coddling.

Today, however, took the cake.

He had been about to get up to leave the Great Hall after finishing his dinner when Pansy bounced in towards him and landed herself on his lap. To his embarrassment, his friends sniggered at her antics while Blaise began to pucker his lips in the air with Pansy's back to them. Draco scowled in response and tried to extract himself from her grip on his neck. But to his dismay, she held on tightly and proceeded to lock her lips with his. He stayed frozen throughout the whole exchange, his mouth staying sealed, until she finally sighed and released him a little in order to look at him with hooded eyes, trying to look desirable. He rolled his eyes at her antics.

"Draco, baby, I've missed you," she purred as she began to play with his tie.

"Funny because I haven't missed you. And don't call me baby," he snapped as he slapped her hand away.

She pouted. "Ah, don't be like that. You know you don't mean it."

He snorted and shook his head. No matter how bad he treated her, she kept coming back. With more force than necessary, he shoved her off his lap and settled her on the bench next to him. Her pout turned into a frown and she aimed to grab one of his hands. He groaned inwardly as she succeeded and locked it in both of hers.

"So will I see you later?" she asked while giving him a hopeful look. She lowered her voice and continued, "We haven't...you know...since last week and I was hoping you could come to my dorm since the girls will be out for the day."

He sighed again. Though he had enjoyed a romp with her now and again, since she was willing, he had realized a little bit too late that it wasn't worth it. In fact, he actually regretted complying in the past because now he was stuck in this mess. Her following him around like a lost puppy was embarrassing to say the least.

"No Pansy, I can't. I have to study for the old bat's Muggle Studies quiz tomorrow. I told you already," he answered in annoyance.

"Oh," She replied with a pout again. "Well, I hardly get to see you. It's like you don't want to see me."

"Of course I don't want to see you. In fact, you're not even my girlfriend!" he hissed loudly.

At this reaction her face crumbled and, before she started to cry, she ran out of the Hall again with her face in her hands. His friends proceeded to laugh once she was gone.

"Boy Draco, you sure have a way with the birds," Theo said with a smirk. Blaise and Goyle continued laughing as they grabbed their sides.

"I've already told that stupid bint we're not together, more than once," he responded in a growl. "It's like she chooses not to understand or has decided to ignore that fact."

"Yeah but you didn't have to be such a git," Blaise said with a grin. "I mean, is it really that terrible that she wants you so much? She's not that bad."

"Yes she is, because she's been acting like gum under my shoe. Repeatedly," he said and took a big swig of his pumpkin juice.

"So does that mean that there will be no wedding?" Theo asked nonchalantly.

At this, Draco spit out his juice all over his friends, making them grimace.

"Hey! No need to soak my robes!" Blaise called out as he waved his wand over himself.

"What?" Draco asked Theo with a scowl, ignoring Blaise.

"You know, a wedding? Pansy has said that her father has been speaking with yours and that a contract has been drawn up."

"When was this?!" he hissed. There was no way his father would be arranging anything without his two cents! He wouldn't dare!

Would he?

"She just told us during lunch. And may I just say that this is very romantic. An arranged marriage! And with your beloved!" Theo exclaimed, clapping his hands together with a wide grin.

"She's not my beloved! And my father...he...he wouldn't do this!" he sputtered.

"Well, apparently, he has. And seemed to have neglected in telling you," Blaise said as he began to snigger again, Goyle joining him.

"There is no way I am marrying that twit!" Draco yelled as he slammed a fist on the table. At this reaction, the Great Hall stopped in their chatter in order to look towards the Slytherin table. As they looked, they saw Draco scowling at his friends while they openly laughed in his face. After two seconds of silence, conversations resumed and they ignored them again. Meanwhile, his friends continued with their laughs.

"Well, it seems you are and that you better make things right with your bride to be. I hear she likes to howl like a Banshee when she begins the road towards wallowing," Theo said while gasping for air.

Draco finally had had enough of their jeering and poking. He stood up rapidly, snatched his book bag, and walked out of the Great Hall with long strides, trying to calm his anger. But alas, his rage decided to escalate and was now out in full force.

How dare his father! Why hadn't he told him anything and kept him in the dark? Better yet, why was he even trying to meddle with his love life and making contracts for an arranged marriage! Draco knew he still had time before he had to settle down and take the reins as the rightful Malfoy heir. So why was this happening? Was this supposed to be a way for his father to better the Malfoy name after their disastrous involvement with the Dark Lord? Sure, the Parkinsons had kept themselves away from the whole thing but Pansy wasn't the only girl out there without a shady history. The thought of being trapped in a loveless marriage with that bint was enough to make him have a panic attack.

He turned quickly and exited through the Entrance and walked out towards the Owlery.

Arranged marriage indeed! He proceeded to call down his eagle owl and attach the note he had penned quickly that would give his father a piece of his mind on the whole thing. There had to be other options than to force him to get married to the one person he couldn't stand. He was only eighteen for fuck's sake!

* * *

Draco sighed loudly as he walked along the dungeon corridor towards the Potions classroom. Now that he had time to cool off a little, he was kind of regretting being hasty and sending that note to his father. Sure he was upset that things were being done without his consent. But he also knew that writing such snappy note to his own father would provoke unnecessary anger and then a backlash. He grimaced as he imagined what his father's reaction was like as he read the note and what his possible response would be. He just hoped it wouldn't lead to his father coming down to Hogwarts and reprimanding him publicly.

Draco scoffed at the idea. His father was currently under house arrest and wouldn't dare risk violating his punishment. However, he could still send him a Howler, which was just as bad. Draco groaned. He hoped against hope that nothing of that nature would happen. Besides, they were Malfoys. His father had said time and again that they don't let their feelings get the best of them. He just hoped that proved to be true during this whole debacle.

As he passed by the classroom, a loud crash suddenly sounded from within that room. At first, he was startled by the sound. But then realization came to play and a small smile formed on his lips. Whoever was in there was so busted.

He quickly walked back towards the door and tried to open it and frowned. Curiously, it was locked which was unusual. The class doors tended to be unlocked in order for the prefects to verify that they were empty.

Just as he was about to wave his wand over the handle, he heard someone.

"Shite!" the voice said in a whisper.

Intrigued, Draco proceeded to unlock the door as the person inside the room seemed to have quieted down. He was about to grab the handle again when the door opened quickly and a person was standing right in front of him.

With surprise marring his features, he stared into the eyes of none other than Hermione Granger. She stared back at him with her mouth dropped open in shock.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

Quickly, Draco rearranged his features and cleared his throat, grinning down at Granger. She, in turn, widened her eyes.

"Malfoy?" she squeaked.

"Granger," he said in a bored, drawl-like tone. "It's after curfew. What are you doing here?"

"Nothing," she replied quickly. "I mean, I had to do something Professor Slughorn requested."

He raised an eyebrow at this. "At midnight?"

"Yes. At midnight," she replied. She turned away from him and began walking towards the mess she made.

But before she could get close, she turned too quickly. There was an unmistakable sound of glass clinking together within one of her robe pockets before she thought to muffle the sound.

_Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_ She chanted in her head. Of all the people out there to catch her, it had to be _Malfoy. _

_Oh, why am I so unlucky? _She thought in despair.

Before he could say anything, she snapped, "And you? What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in bed as well."

He smirked. "Isn't it obvious? I'm doing the rounds you assigned me," he replied. He crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame. He knew she was lying. She was a terrible liar.

"Oh," she replied as her stern face slipped into anxiety and she began to wring her hands nervously. After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, she turned back towards the mess again and waved her wand at it.

"So what's the meaning of this?" he asked. "I never thought I would see the day when you break in to a classroom. Were you trying to steal-"

"No! That's not it! You don't know anything!" she cut him off.

He stared back at her, amused at her outburst and then a grin began to form on his face. He had caught her stealing! How interesting. The Gryffindor bleeding heart was doing something very naughty indeed.

"Well then, what is the meaning of this? Because I seriously doubt that Slughorn knows you are here, going through his supply closet."

She sniffed at him as she began to right the stool she had knocked over. "It's none of your business."

"Oh, I beg to differ," he said as he sauntered slowly to where she stood. An idea suddenly took root in his mind and he decided to have some fun in unsettling her.

As she saw him approach, she took a step back in surprise. He then cornered her by one of the lab tables and rested both hands on the edge of the table as her back hit it, trapping her. She stared back at him with big eyes.

He continued, "Because if you don't tell me, I will have to report you to the professor. Which, in turn, would be embarrassing since you are Head Girl. Now, I'm only asking once more: what are you doing here?"

She frowned at his intimidation antics and proceeded to shove him out of the way. She succeeded in pushing him away, but not much. He was still too close for her comfort. But at least his hands were no longer holding onto the edge of the table.

"Fine," she answered with a growl. "I was trying to get some ingredients from the top shelf for a project."

He gave her a skeptical look at this reply. "And you couldn't wait until tomorrow?"

"No, because I needed them for tonight," she replied.

"Huh. What kind of potion?" he asked.

"Now that's certainly none of your business," she snapped.

Draco continued to look at her as she frowned and crossed her arms while looking away from him.

He pursed his lips. Obviously, she was creating a potion she didn't want anyone to know about, which was very curious. What could be leading her to such desperate measures that she would risk stealing?

Well, no matter. Now that he had this leverage, he was going to exploit it to his benefit. He just couldn't believe his great fortune. He just hoped he was lucky in getting what he wanted from her and that she would comply easily.

He sighed dramatically.

"Alright fine, it's none of my business," he started, "so I guess that means I have no choice but to report you to McGonagall."

Her frown dropped from her face quickly as she turned pale.

"What? Why?" she shrieked, dropping her arms.

"Because you're a shit liar and you're up to no good," he replied with a smile.

"But…I just told you! I'm working on a project!" she defended.

"That's probably not even part of an assignment," he said.

"How do you know? Maybe its extra credit," she argued.

"I seriously doubt you are doing this for extra credit. As we all know very well, you don't need it," Draco said with a sneer.

She looked back at him and knew she was caught. The only way she was going to get out of this was by giving in to whatever it was he wanted in exchange. She sighed and closed her eyes briefly.

When she opened them again, she saw that he was giving her a toothy smile. She cringed inwardly. At that moment, she knew. She knew that there was definitely something he was going to propose that she wasn't going to like.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" she asked quietly.

"Oh ho! What's this? An attempt to bribe me?" he asked with faked indignation as he clutched a hand over his heart.

"Oh, cut the theatrics! Obviously, there's something you want in order to keep silent concerning my…indiscretion."

"Indiscretion? You just said you were working on a project that Slughorn knows about," he said with perfect innocence as his lips threatened to tug into a grin again.

"Yeah, well. I lied obviously," she snapped while crossing her arms over her chest. "So what do I need to do in order for you to keep your mouth shut?"

His lips twitched in amusement as he took in her resigned stance. He wondered how she would react when he voiced his request. He was starting to get giddy by the idea.

"Be my girlfriend," he said simply.

They stayed silent for a few seconds-though it felt like hours. She blinked at him as he stared at her with an expectant look. Finally, the penny seemed to have dropped and she blinked again.

"Your girlfriend," she repeated.

He nodded once at her.

Another few seconds passed before she finally broke down in fits of laughter and she began to walk towards the door. He scowled at her reaction. That was definitely not what he was expecting.

"Oh Malfoy, that's just…pathetic. Really? Your girlfriend?" she said with a laugh as she made to grab the door handle. But to her dismay, as she went to grab it, it locked loudly. She stopped laughing then and turned to look at him with a frown.

"Open this door!" she barked.

"No," he snapped as he lowered his wand.

"I swear, you better open this door, so help me Merlin," she hissed.

"No," he repeated.

She scowled at him as she made her way back to him, her hands in fists at her sides. How dare he? Was he not above forcing himself on her?

"So now you're going to force me?" she asked and then scoffed. "Is this what your dating life has become? Forcing someone?"

His cheeks went pink at this and he straightened his stance, towering over her. He narrowed his eyes.

Suddenly, Hermione felt a bit scared. She hadn't realized how tall Malfoy was until just then. Regardless, she held her ground and glared up at him.

"I am quite capable of finding my own dates!" he snapped.

"Yet, here you are, trying to blackmail me into dating you! I fail to see how this is you being capable."

"It's quite simple, you big-headed bint. You help me by being my girlfriend and I help you by keeping quiet over your 'indiscretion'. It's a win-win."

"Exactly how would this be a win for you?"

"Now _that_ is none of your business."

"Well that's just great. You expect me to be your girl without giving me an explanation and on top of it all; you call me a big-headed bint!"

"Fine, forget I asked. I'll just go talk to the Headmistress and this will all be over," he said and stormed towards the door. At this, Hermione panicked and ran after him.

"Malfoy! Wait!" she cried as she tried to grab his arm.

He shrugged her hands off him and aimed his wand at the door to unlock it again. He didn't need this. If she was going to humiliate him, he damn well was going to knock her off her high horse in the process.

"Will you just stop for a second?" she asked in a strangled tone.

At her outburst, he froze and turned back to her with a frown.

"A second," he clipped out.

"I…I accept," she said meekly.

"Accept what?"

"You know…" and she shrugged.

"I'm sorry but you're going to have to speak more clearly and loudly," he said while bending his ear with a hand towards her.

She glared at him. He was going to make her beg. How typical Malfoy.

"I accept to be your girlfriend," she growled through clenched teeth.

He continued frowning at her for a few more seconds before he finally sighed and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck.

"This potion must be something big if you're resolving to date me to keep quiet," he quipped.

Her jaw flexed at this but she made no effort to reply at first.

"Let's just say it's very important that no one knows what it is," she replied with a lift of her nose in the air.

He scoffed at her antics.

"Besides, if you need me for a girlfriend, then you too have something big you are trying to avoid."

"Touché. But that's neither here or there," he replied with a wave of a hand. "Anyway, since you have agreed to this, there are going to be some rules."

"Oh goody," she said, her reply dripping with sarcasm. He ignored this and continued.

"First, there will be no impromptu holding of hands—"

"And here I thought we were going to be lovey-dovey," she interrupted.

"Second, this 'arrangement' is only temporary so pay attention," he snapped. "Third, you will meet me by the dungeons every morning so we can walk together towards the Great Hall."

"Wait, you're making this public?" she cried as her eyes opened wide.

"Of course. Otherwise, what's the point in dating you?"

"But I…I can't stand you and you can't stand me," she argued. "In fact, we can't stand being in each other's presence for more than two minutes without trying to kill each other. I fail to see how this is a good idea."

"Haven't you ever heard that Muggle saying that opposites attract? It will work itself out."

"But how are we going to bring this out to the public? I seriously doubt anyone is going to buy that we care for one another within a _day_."

"We'll just tell those nosy bastards think that we got tired of dating in secret," he shrugged though he was starting to feel irritated by her questions.

"But what about our friends? They'll see right through this charade."

"No, they won't."

"But—"

"For fuck's sake, will you stop with the inane questions? Like I said, it will work itself out. Just follow my lead and everything will be fine!" he yelled.

She clamped her mouth shut and looked away while she scowled deeply.

_So far, so good_, he thought sarcastically.

"Look, just meet me tomorrow in front of the Slytherin common room's entrance and follow my lea—"

"Now wait a second," she interrupted again. "If you're going to be my 'boyfriend', wouldn't the gentleman thing be for you to meet _me_ instead?"

He frowned; she had a point.

"Fine, I'll meet you by your entrance. Where's the Head's common room?"

She dropped her eyes to her shoes at this. She didn't want to tell him this but she had no choice, it seemed.

"By the kitchens," she answered with a grimace. At this, Draco smirked. So that's why she and the Head Boy were able to get to places fast. Their room was centralized. Good to know.

"Okay. I'll meet you there fifteen minutes early before breakfast every day from now on."

"Fine," she said with a sigh.

"Fine," he confirmed. "Last rule: we will kiss when necessary."

At this, her face scrunched up. Kissing Malfoy? Ugh. She certainly didn't think about that when she agreed. But whatever, he himself said it was temporary. She'd just imagine that it was Ron she was kissing.

When she made no comment, he continued, "The same goes with cuddling, hugging and holding hands. Only when necessary."

She rolled her eyes at this. Like she wanted to touch him at all!

"Agreed," she said. "Is that it?"

"Yes," he said and made to grab the handle of the door again. Just as he was about to turn it, he remembered something essential and stopped. He turned back to face her. He wondered how she would react to the last part of their deal.

When she saw that he had paused, she turned her gaze from the handle towards him and stared back.

"What?" she asked.

"One more thing…" he started.

"Yes?"

"No one, and I mean no one, can know that this partnership is a farce. _No one_."

At this, Hermione's mouth dropped open. On top of everything, she couldn't tell anyone that their relationship was a lie? Not even to her best friends?!

"But why? I know for a fact that you are going to blab this to your mates!"

"No, I will not 'blab'. The whole point of this is for you and me to appear legitimate in order for others to see that we are truly together. Why would I jeopardize that?"

"Yeah, well, I still I don't believe you," she said with a huff.

Draco narrowed his eyes at her. "Try. And you will do damn well to adhere to this!"

She turned away from him again and sniffed loudly. Fine, she'd keep quiet but he had to promise that he'd do the same.

Suddenly, she remembered something and smiled briefly. She turned back to him with a determined look.

"If you want this to stay a secret, you will make me a verbal Wizard's promise," she proposed with a smug grin.

He raised an eyebrow. "Is that supposed to scare me? Fine, I'll do it," he replied without hesitation and her grin fell. He really was going to make the promise.

He cleared his throat loudly and held out his hand towards her.

When she hesitated, he taunted, "What's the matter? Think you can't keep this quiet? Must be a huge struggle for you since you're a know-it-all big mouth."

She glared at him and grabbed his hand viciously as he smirked at her. He began to wave his wand over their joined hands and a white light glowed above their hands as he began his promise.

"As a Wizard, I promise that this contract shall stay confidential between you and me. No one will be made aware of this. If this promise is broken, there will be consequences administered."

At this, Hermione raised an eyebrow. How interesting for him to include that punishment bit.

He looked at her with expectant eyes, waiting for her to fulfill her end of the promise. She sighed before she began.

"And I, as a witch, promise that the true nature of this relationship stays secret as well. I will tell no one and if I break this promise, I too, will adhere to the consequences."

Suddenly the white light was lowered into their joined hands and brightened for a few seconds.

When the light vanished, Hermione felt him shake her hand once.

"Agreed?" he asked while piercing his gaze on her.

"Agreed," she replied as she released his hand.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **So...I'm not going to lie. I am a little disappointed by the lack of response/reviews to this story. Do any of you even like it? I mean, I know you're reading it and some of you have begun to follow it. But does that mean you even find it enjoyable? I honestly have no idea. :(

Either way, here's another chapter. I hope that this time around, I'll get some type of response. It doesn't have to be a long review. Just...let me know what you think, you know? _Or_ if you have any feedback, PM me. I will greatly appreciate it!

**Disclaimer: **J.K. Rowling owns it all. I only own this plot.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

True to his word, the next day Draco met Hermione by the entrance to her common room. She grimaced at first when she saw him at her door, but quickly rearranged her expression when he saw her. With a brisk walk, she stepped out of the room as quickly as possible, shutting the portrait door behind her with a slam before the Head Boy Terry Boot could see who it was. Though she knew it was pointless, she still didn't want Terry to know. Not yet.

She didn't say anything for a few seconds once she was in front of him and continued to stare at him, unsure of what to do next. Draco in return rolled his eyes, and grabbed one of her hands roughly. He tucked it into the nook of his arm and began to lead them away.

He didn't even bother to match his stride with hers as they walked towards the Great Hall. Throughout their walk, she glared at his backside as she ran behind him. It took a lot of her willpower to stay quiet and not comment. Instead, she sighed loudly so he could hear her aggravation. But, true to his nature, he feigned ignorance and continued his pace.

She wanted so badly to smack the back of his head with her free hand but refrained. If this charade was to be credible, it would probably be best for her to keep away from physical violence. Or else people would see right through them.

That fact annoyed her endlessly. Just having to curve her impulses was unfair, especially when it felt natural to want to slap the ferret. He deserved it half the time! Especially at that moment, since he was dragging her like a rag doll. But no. Now she couldn't even throw or think about throwing her book bag at him for being a git. Ugh.

Needless to say, she had not slept well the night before. All night long, she had tossed and turned, dreading the moment that she would face her friends-and the whole school for the matter-with Draco by her side. And not just at his side, but as his 'girlfriend'.

She cringed every time she thought about that word. She still couldn't believe that she had agreed to go along with this...this _thing_! They were far from ideal, not even friends. But Malfoy definitely must have been desperate if he resorted to forcing her to help him.

Which, by the way, brought her to the next thought that had caused her to lose sleep: why her? Did he really not have a choice of asking anyone else? And couldn't someone from his own house help him with whatever issue was plaguing him? She was a Muggleborn for crying out loud! And everyone knew they hated each other. Who would even believe that he had taken an interest in dating her?

And wasn't he with Parkinson, anyway? That last bit bothered her more than she wanted to admit. She did not want to be dragged into whatever drama that was going on between the two.

Therefore, as she was getting ready for the day, she decided to bring up her questions during their walk towards breakfast. Nonchalantly, of course. And by everything holy, he was going to answer them. He owed her that much.

Though now, with this current behaviour of his, she seriously doubted her resolve to get answers. He looked far from being compliant or helpful. Then again, this was Malfoy. When was he ever pleasant?

Oh well.

She took a deep breath and decided that that moment was as good as any to start.

Just as she was going to ask her first question, she froze and went pale.

_Oh, bugger!_ she thought in dread. _Here comes Ginny!_

Without a second thought, she proceeded to try to yank her hand out from the nook of his arm. But to her surprise, he squeezed her hand and pulled it to him quickly. She tried again and failed. Instead, Draco stopped walking and faced her with a scowl.

"Will you _stop_ fidgeting?" he hissed with vehemence.

"I'm not fidgeting! I'm just trying to move my hand away! You're cutting off my circulation!" she hissed back, trying to cover her anxiousness.

He scoffed. "Well, that's what happens when you lag. Can't you walk any faster?"

"Excuse me, but can't you see the height difference between us? There's no way on earth that I am going keep up with your strides, you tall freak of nature you!"

Draco snapped his jaw shut and glowered at her. Did she just call him a freak and think she'd get away with it?!

Just as he was about to tell her off, she suddenly pushed a finger to his lips. He widened his eyes in surprise for a second before he narrowed them into slits.

"Shh! Ginny's heading this way!" she hissed urgently.

He reached up and removed her finger from him. "I don't give a flying fuck! Never try to shut me up again."

Suddenly, he heard a loud gasp and turned his eyes towards the sound. He found the redhead frozen at the sight of them together but she was still quite far away from them. From the looks of it, she hadn't heard anything that had been said but now she began to walk towards them with determined strides. Draco sneered at her antics.

"This is a bad idea," Hermione muttered as she also watched Ginny walk towards them.

He turned back to Hermione and gave her a toothy grin as he squeezed her hand in his arm.

At his actions, Hermione turned to look at him and pulled back a bit in surprise. His grin was the last thing she was expecting to see_. What the bloody hell is going on in that head of his?_

"No, this is a great opportunity. Besides, we've made a deal along with a Wizard's promise, remember?" he replied while keeping the smile on his face. "So shut up and smile. It's show time."

Before she could retort, he called out, "Weaselette! How unpleasant it is to see you early this morning!"

"Likewise," Ginny responded with a look of suspicion. She shifted her eyes from Malfoy to his arm where Hermione's hand rested and then back at her. Hermione fidgeted from one foot to the other. She felt completely exposed and anxious. Ginny was going to see right through them. She just knew it!

"So what's this?" Ginny asked as she stared at Hermione, her gaze unforgiving.

"What's what?" Hermione asked in perfect innocence.

"You're joking, right? Do you really want me to point out the obvious?" Ginny asked while crossing her arms in front of her chest with a frown.

_Bugger_, Hermione thought. What was she going to do? What was she going to _say_? She cleared her throat.

"Well, I honestly don't know what you're referring to. I mean, I'm just walking to breakfast, minding my own business."

Ginny scowled but persisted. "Fine then, I'll ask the obvious. Why is the ferret holding your hand in his arm?"

Hermione winced. "Oh, that. Well, you see he-umm...I mean, that is to say...uh, I-ah…well-"

"What Granger is trying to say," Draco's bored drawl cut in, "and very badly at that, is that she's my girlfriend and we are both walking towards breakfast. _Together_."

Ginny's scowl froze. She stood like a statue for a few seconds before she blinked.

"Your girlfriend," she repeated.

"Yes, girlfriend. Didn't I just say that?" Draco snapped.

Ginny blinked again and turned towards Hermione with a concerned look. "Please tell me he's joking. That _you're_ joking! Tell me you lost a bet and he's trying to embarrass you!"

"Now why would I do such a thing?" Draco replied with a smirk. "And she doesn't have to tell you a damn thing, despite your belief of entitlement."

"You're not helping!" Hermione hissed before turning her gaze towards her shoes. She chewed on her bottom lip to keep it from trembling. She just couldn't look at Ginny as she was about to lie blatantly. She took a deep breath to steady herself.

"It's true," Hermione replied quietly while still looking at her shoes. "We have been dating for a while now. But we're tired of hiding."

"Bollocks!" Ginny snapped. Hermione lifted her gaze towards her.

"Gin, I-"

"No, I refuse to believe that the person who just poured her heart out to me in regards to Ron a few days ago has been secretly involved in a relationship with this...this…ferret!"

"By George, is that the best insult you can throw at me?" Draco asked Ginny with a sneer. He turned to Hermione. "And Granger, you _still _haven't made a move on the Weasel? Pah-thetic," Draco taunted and then gave a small laugh.

"Well, how can I if I'm with _you_, darling_?"_ she snapped with sarcasm at the endearment.

"But honey, don't your feelings for him date back a few years?" he asked in innocence.

"How would _you_ know?"

"Please. Everyone but that ignorant red-headed moron knew."

Hermione blushed beet red as she glared at him. She yanked her hand from his arm and turned towards Ginny but instantly regretted it. She cringed when she saw the look that took over Ginny's face.

Ginny was narrowing her eyes suspiciously as she looked from one to the other and Hermione had no idea what exactly she was looking for until she saw her eyes widen suddenly. She paled at the conclusion Ginny must have come to.

"Oh God…" Ginny whispered. "This _can't_ be true."

"I can explain-" Hermione began again.

"Explain _what,_ exactly? Why you've lied to me all this time? Or how you've wasted my time by making me think that you were interested in Ron? Or would you rather explain this twisted, demented relationship you have going on here?"

"Hey!" Draco called out in offense but shut up when Hermione sent him another withering glare. She turned back to Ginny and walked a step forward with a hand stretched out.

"Ginny, please just wait one minute," she said again and winced when Ginny pulled back with a look of disgust.

"You know what? I don't want to hear your explanations. For all I know, they're probably just more made up lies. You do what you want, Hermione. You are just lucky that both Ron and Harry decided to skip out this year! Can you imagine what their faces will be like when they find out?"

When Hermione gave her no reply, Ginny huffed in disgust and spun on her heel, walking away.

But before she got far, she yelled over her shoulder, "And don't expect me to be there for you when that git breaks your heart into a million pieces!"

As she disappeared around the corner, Hermione covered her face with her hands. She took a deep breath.

Well. That went well.

"Well, that went well," Draco voiced aloud as he dusted off his robes from imaginary lint.

When Hermione made no effort to move or look at him, he rolled his eyes.

"Really Granger, I had no idea you gave a damn about what people thought. Get over it."

Finally, she snapped and she pulled her hands away from her face, turning red with anger.

"Get over it? I just lied to one of my best friends! Do you have any idea what this is going to mean for me? She's not going to keep still! And you can bet she is not going to keep this to herself either! She's going to tell Harry and Ron...oh god! She's going to tell Ron!" she cried, going pale again.

Draco scoffed. "So what if she does? Are you really that worried about what the bumbling idiotic duo will think? Though I think jealousy would be a great thing for the Weasel to experience. That is, if he even likes you back."

Hermione growled, curling her hands into fists by her sides.

"Right. Because having real friends is a foreign concept to you," she snapped. "Well, let me enlighten you: a friend is a person that cares about you and has trust in you. A prime example is Harry and Ron and their trust in _me_. But now, thanks to this…this _charade_, it will most likely be destroyed!"

"So?" Draco asked in a bored tone.

"So, this is a bloody big deal! You're ruining me and my reputation. And all because you're forcing me to lie to them! Lie to them over this _stupid_, fake relationship!"

At that last bit, he finally had it. He walked towards her, forcing her backwards. When her back hit a wall, he banged his hands above her head loudly and kept them there, trapping her. His eyes narrowed into slits as he glared down at her. It took a lot of his willpower to keep from growling.

Hermione's heart beat fast as she took in his nearness and fought extra hard to keep the glare on her face -despite the emotional turmoil going on inside of her. She would not be afraid of his intimidation tactics!

"No one twisted your arm into doing this. You agreed to help, remember?" he said in quiet tone while levelling his glare. "But we can end this right now if you want. All it takes is a walk towards the Headmistress' office and your confession. So, what do you say? Want to go see your precious McGonagall?"

Hermione continued to glare at him as she considered which of the two scenarios worked best. Would it really be so bad to tell the Headmistress that she was making an unsanctioned Felix Felicis potion for her own private needs?

_Yes_, she thought. _It really would be._

She had worked too hard in keeping her plans to herself so far. She didn't want anyone to butt-in or try to help, no matter if they were trustworthy or not.

While many knew that she had Obliviated her parent's memories, no one really knew that she had no idea where they _were_ exactly. Of course she knew that they were in Australia but the country was big. They could be anywhere. She constantly kicked herself for not placing a tracking charm of some sort before sending them off. But her mind had been so distracted at the time to really be bothered to do it. She just hoped that Felix would help her narrow the search.

She actually considered herself lucky that no one really knew her predicament. Everyone around her seemed to think that her parents were really enjoying their stay and were hesitant to return. Hermione didn't bother to clarify anything. She didn't want to burden her friends with her plans. They had all already dealt with so much, what with Ron and Ginny losing a brother and Harry fulfilling the prophecy. Besides, her parents were her sole responsibility. They deserved to know the truth about everything -from her.

And despite having Mrs. Weasley as her temporary surrogate mother, she missed them dearly. It just wasn't the same. She hated living her life as if she were an orphan. She missed seeing her father working on some random home improvement project and hearing her mother hum a song off-key as she cooked. Hermione felt terrible that it was taking her so long to find them.

But sadly, that part was out her hands. So many things had taken priority that, despite wanting to blame herself entirely, it really wasn't her fault. Between the outcome of the war and getting ready for school along with her Head Girl duties, she had been forced to leave her search in the back burner. Though now, as the winter holidays approached and her responsibilities shrunk, she couldn't ignore it anymore. The time was finally right. She_ had_ to find them. She just hoped that the potion would be ready by the time the break rolled around.

That was the other reason for her delay: the making of the potion itself. She didn't want to risk making a mistake for being hasty and had been overly cautious in preparing it. It was dangerous and a huge risk to try to make the potion without proper guidance from a certified potion maker or professor. She knew that if you missed one minor step or ingredient, the consequences could be devastating. But she also knew she could do it. If she was able to make Poly juice as a Second Year, then making Liquid Luck shouldn't be that much of a challenge. So far, she had gone through three batches before she finally felt she'd made it right. It was currently brewing in her room and she prayed it continued to go on its proper course for the next couple of days. All she had to do now was add ingredients and make sure to stir it before bed. If she continued on schedule, the potion should be ready by the time she would be heading towards The Burrow.

Hermione shook her head, trying to clear it. She almost forgot that Draco was still in front of her, tight-lipped and scowling. From the looks of it, he was waiting for an answer.

She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, giving him a defiant look.

"No, we made a deal and I will honour my part," she said with a jut of her chin.

Draco continued to stare at her for a minute longer before he pulled away.

"So be it," he replied before he grabbed her hand. Only this time, he didn't put it where it had been previously. Instead, he clasped it in his and dragged her behind him as he continued their walk towards the Great Hall.

Hermione scowled at his actions but didn't saying anything. Again. She just knew that if she opened her mouth, she would risk getting sent to McGonagall right away and Draco would only be more unbearable.

Instead, she took that time to clear her mind. And take deep breaths.

Ginny and her parents were now the least of her worries. She still had to face the whole of Hogwarts.

* * *

When they entered the Great Hall, Draco still continued to drag her behind him. Once they reached the Gryffindor table, he finally released her and gave her a quick sloppy kiss on the cheek. She stared back in surprise while he smirked and sauntered off towards his House table.

She continued to stare at him as he made his way towards his bench and saw him take his seat like nothing was out of the ordinary. As if his kissing her was a regular occurrence. When he finally looked back at her, he winked and that seemed to do it. She closed her eyes while she shook her head and dumbly made her way towards her own table.

While she walked, she saw some of her house-mates giving her surprised looks, while others gave looks of pure shock. She also noticed that the Hall had gotten eerily quiet as they stared at her and Malfoy.

A few seconds later, the loud chatter resumed.

She sighed as she made her way towards her usual spot but stopped before sitting. Ginny was giving her a dirty look and scooting closer to Neville who looked on in surprise. He had been reading a Herbology book when he felt someone getting close. He usually sat by himself when Seamus or Dean weren't there. So Ginny's closeness was unexpected.

Hermione's face fell at Ginny's reaction as she took her seat. Of course she wasn't expecting Ginny to treat her warmly after their earlier interaction in the hallway, but still.

It hurt.

Hermione tried to ignore everyone around her as much as she could as she loaded her plate with toast and oatmeal. She didn't take her time prepping her oatmeal with raisins and a pinch of cinnamon as she usually did. She was feeling too dejected and she didn't care. But despite not feeling hungry, she made an effort to shovel some of it down her throat. She could feel and hear her housemates whispering amongst themselves despites their efforts to be discreet and she hated it.

She tried to hurry as quickly as possible so she could leave and hide in the library before class. After all this commotion, she really needed time alone to collect herself and get ready to face the rest of her day. It was bound to continue towards disaster and unpleasantness.

She just hoped that Draco was receiving as much backlash as she was.

* * *

Draco sniffed as he picked up a piece of bacon and took a bite, ignoring his housemates thoroughly. So far, no one had dared to approach him or ask about his interaction with the Gryffindor Muggle-born. He hoped it stayed that way since he didn't care to set the record straight. But he knew that once Blaise, Theo or Pansy caught wind of his predicament, his current state of peace would go out the window.

Luckily, they were still not at the breakfast table so he enjoyed his tea, bacon and eggs in blessed peace.

Before he began to eat, he had been observing Hermione from across the hall, just to see how she was holding up with her nosy housemates. From what he saw, it appeared that they had placed her in exile. No one was talking to her and the Weaselette looked as if she was still stewing over their earlier confrontation. Well, that is if her savage stabbing of her sausage was any indication. He also saw how the red-head's anger affected part of the table because some of them were throwing wary glances between the pair of girls while others giggled and pointed at Hermione.

It amused him to see that despite everything Hermione had done in the past, she was now considered the social pariah for consorting with the "enemy". How very magnanimous of her House.

_Fuck the lot of them_, he thought to himself with a smug smile. _It's none of their business anyway_.

He just wished Granger would realize the same thing.

Besides, it's only temporary, he said to himself. So what if she was an outcast for a few weeks? She didn't even have to be one to begin with. In fact, she could have ended it all just a few minutes ago by going to the Headmistress.

He frowned.

Now that he thought about it, her reaction intrigued him. Why was she willing to suffer the social pangs of disgust over this? What exactly was she working on that she didn't want her dear old Transfiguration professor to know?

Not that he was complaining by any stretch. She was the perfect solution to his current predicament and would make his life a little bit easier while at Hogwarts. Despite his dislike of the Gryffindor, she wasn't ugly or that repulsive. Well physically, that is. Her personality was still a bit of a turn-off for him. Especially when she acted like such a know-it-all, always jumping out of her seat with her hand raised high in the air during class. Did she not realize that no one really gave a fuck about her answers sans the teachers? That irritated him beyond comprehension.

But regardless of her behaviour, he always thought that if she made an effort like she had during their fourth year for the Yule ball, she might even be desirable -as long as she kept her mouth shut. After seeing her dressed up that year, the image had stayed inside his brain despite his misgivings. And to this day, he fought tooth and nail to never let his mind wander down that path. But he couldn't deny it; the Gryffindor was good-looking when she tried to look good.

And who cared if she was a Muggleborn? After everything they had been through during their earlier years at Hogwarts and the war, blood was the least of his worries. Besides, she was going to be of great help to him, one way or the other. If anything, their relationship was going to piss off his father. Maybe even send him to an early grave. Draco could only hope for the latter.

But he also knew that his father knew that, despite her blood status, she was a good ally for them to have on their side. She had been on the winning side. Whether she realized it or not, she-

A loud bang suddenly sounded from the entrance of the Hall and the room fell silent again. Draco's lips twitched as he fought to keep a smile off his face as he turned his gaze towards the door. He knew just by the door slam that the person that awaited him was none other than Pansy. And she looked extremely upset. The Hall again broke into whispers and gasps as they took in the scene.

_Here we go_, he thought to himself with chortle. S_how time_.

Pansy's eyes were blazing and her hands were balled into fists as she stomped towards the Slytherin table and stopped right in front of him. A few of their housemates that had been sitting around him took her approach as their cue to leave. Draco could hear them scrambling quickly and then he heard them walking away swiftly.

He ignored Pansy and instead looked at his food with interest before picking up another piece of bacon. He was already bored about what was to come. Still, he made no offer to break the ice.

When he heard her begin to mutter, he sighed.

"Problem?" he asked as he continued to ignore her heated gaze. When she didn't answer right away, he took that moment to bite his bacon while picking up _The Daily Prophet_ that someone had left behind.

"You damn well can bet there's a problem!" she shrieked. "Why the bloody hell are there news of you consorting with that bushy-haired _Mudblood_?"

His eyes snapped up to her, frowning deeply.

"Hey! That's my girlfriend you're talking about," he answered. "Watch your fucking mouth."

Pansy left out a mirthless laugh as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Girlfriend? Be serious! Since when?" she asked while narrowing her eyes.

"Since I decided that it was time to bring our relationship out in public," he answered simply as he returned his gaze back to the paper and took another bite of bacon.

"But..but…no, this can't be true! You've never mentioned it before!" she whined. Then she lowered her voice and added in a hiss, "And we just shagged last week!"

He left out a mirthless laugh of his own. "And what makes you think that because we had a romp in the sack that it meant anything?"

Pansy stared at him. "And she was OK with that?"

_Fuck!_ he thought to himself. He hadn't thought about that.

He shrugged, trying to pull off nonchalance. "She knows I have urges," he replied smoothly.

At this, Pansy cocked her head to the side and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Oh really? And shouldn't she be the one to take care of them?"

"No, not necessarily. We have an understanding," he said, trying to play off his discomfort.

"An understanding that allows you to cheat?"

He scowled and slammed the newspaper on the table and then stood up, easily towering over her. He had had enough of her prying.

At his reaction, she cowered a little but remained in front of him.

"What we have agreed on is none of your business. Now, get the hell out of my face," he bit out.

"No."

"Pansy, leave."

"No!"

"Pansy-"

"I'm not leaving!"

"Get-"

"No, not until you admit that this is all a lie!"

"Well, it's _not_. So get over it!"

"I will not! I _refuse_ to believe that the _Mudblood_ is your—"

Quickly, before she could finish off her rant, Draco grabbed one of her arms and pulled her behind him towards the Great Hall's exit. He ignored the looks of shock some of the people in the Hall gave them and Hermione's very surprised one and walked out towards the emptiest hallway he could find.

When he found one, he shoved Pansy against the wall roughly while she huffed and shoved a finger at his chest.

"How dare you-"

He slapped it a way and scowled. "Yeah, well I dare. Now, shut up and listen well! I'm only saying this once."

With a frown, she clamped her mouth shut, crossing her arms again and a pout forming on her lips.

"I don't know or care why you feel like you have any rights over me but you don't! I already told you, more than once, that I am _not_ boyfriend anymore. And yes, I allowed your advances, so what? It was only for one thing and one thing only: to get laid. You've made it easy enough, even begged, so who was I to deny you? Now, as you made it very clear, I do have someone to take care of me. So your services will not be required anymore. Thanks for the memories. Now, stop fussing over me and get over it!"

Quickly, before he could stop her, a hand came across his face and a loud slap echoed in the hallway. He felt his cheek burst into flames and he knew that an imprint of her hand would be on his face. Nevertheless, he remained quiet while flexing his jaw.

When he turned his eyes back to her, he saw hers start to water and grimaced. But despite his discomfort, he knew it was best to let her have it out. He sighed inwardly, prepping himself.

"You heartless bastard!" she hissed as a tear ran down her cheek. "How can you say that to me after everything we've been through together? And what of our pending engagement? I know your father will not be happy to hear about your current affair!"

He narrowed his eyes and advanced towards her slowly. "Is that a threat?" he hissed in a low voice.

"No! It's just that…-it's…-Draco, you can't do this to me! I won't allow it!

"Yes, I can and you will! I never said I was going to marry you! And yet, you went behind my back to make those arrangements. So get this into your thick head: I'm with Granger. Whether you like it or not, I plan to be with her for a _long_ time. And if you want to tell my father, fine. Do it! I honestly don't give two fucks if you do. Furthermore, if I haven't been blunt enough before, let me say this once and for all, loud and clear: I don't love you! Never have and never will. And I. Don't. Want. You!"

At his last statement, Pansy burst into tears and began to wail as Draco looked on, uncomfortable. But he knew it had to be done. It may have been harsh and cruel but it was necessary. He was sick of being patient and polite. She needed to hear the truth, no matter how much it hurt.

When she got down to sniffling, he turned and began walking away. But before he got far, she yelled after him:

"You're a liar, Draco Malfoy! I know you love me! You can't fake or turn off your emotions for me! And you don't mean any of this! I know you don't!" She ran towards him and grasped desperately at the front of his robes, trying to plead at him with her eyes. He in turn grimaced at her antics and tried to extricate her hands from his person.

"I love you!" she blubbered on. "You can't do this to me!"

"Well, I've already told you that I don't and it's done. I'm done talking about this."

She continued to bawl and he was starting to reach the end of his patience.

"Draco, please! Be with me!" she whimpered again.

"No! Now shut up and leave me alone, you bothersome bint!" he growled as he pushed her hands off him roughly with a move of finality.

After whimpering in front of him for a few seconds, seeing him angry and unremorseful, she finally ran away from him, crying very loudly with her face in her hands.

Draco watched as she turned the corner and run down a set of stares. He sighed loudly.

_Well, that went beautifully_, he thought in frustration, running both of his hands through his hair.

He couldn't believe that the stupid girl was insisting on him to be with her, despite his rude rebuff. He had lost count how many times he told her that had no interest in being with her again. Ever. Yet, here she was, crying her eyes out as if that would make him change his mind.

Thank goodness he came up with another solution. That little charade about getting engaged behind his back was the last straw.

Why did she have to be so persistent and pester him to the point of insanity? Why couldn't she move on and chase after his other friends? Why was she so adamant to be with him? Didn't she know that Blaise and Theo fancied her as well?

As he replayed their disagreement, he growled in frustration before punching the wall in front of him hard. He heard his hand crack but didn't even flinch. He was still very livid by the current fallout.

So he took a few more seconds, breathing deeply, trying to clear his mind. He couldn't let it get to him. He had made his choice, had been honest (brutally so) with her and he was over it.

He took another deep breath and released it slowly. Once he felt he was ready, he began to walk to his first class.

However, when he brushed his injured hand against his leg, he winced. He raised it towards his face and was surprised at what he saw: his fist was starting to turn purple and his knuckles were bleeding. He tentatively stretched his fingers out and grunted. Yep, his hand was broken.

He frowned as he considered his options.

He could go to the Hospital wing.

_No_, _can't do that_, he thought quickly and decided against it. He didn't want to see the school matron. He knew that once Madam Pomfrey saw his hand, she would pester him for answers. The last thing he wanted to do was give explanations. So he tossed that option aside.

His next best solution would then be for him to attempt to heal it himself.

_Yes, I can heal myself. Good idea_, he thought with a slight smirk. He closed his eyes, trying to recall a spell that would help. He knew he had read about them a while ago, so he should remember something.

But to his dismay, after a minute or two, his mind came up blank and he was starting to get a headache. He tried for the life of him to think of at least one but it appeared that they were unworthy spells to memorize. The only things he recalled were spells to cause injuries, not heal them.

His frowned deepened. So much for healing himself.

So he considered the matron again, mulling over the pros and cons of the visit. Finally, he decided that a quick pit stop at the library would be better. He really wanted to try to cure himself. He knew he could do it.

As he gazed at his broken hand once more, he heard someone shift and gasp loudly behind him and he froze. Without even turning around, he already knew who it was by the scent that wafted towards him. She always smelled of cinnamon and apples.

"What do you want?" he snapped before turning his gaze towards her. She seemed to bristle for a second at his anger before she settled her features to be passive.

"What? Can't I see what's wrong with my _boyfriend_?" she asked in mock concern as she sneered at him.

"No," he snapped as he began to walk away, ignoring her.

Before he got too far, she caught up to him and fell into step. He sighed again. He didn't want to deal with another female. His last experience had left him mentally exhausted.

One was more than enough at the moment.

They walked in silence for a few minutes until finally he snapped. He couldn't take her quietness anymore. It was too weird. He stopped suddenly.

"What?" he asked brusquely as he turned to face her.

"Let me see your hand," she said quietly.

"No."

"Oh, stop being a prat—"

"Listen, just because you are helping me out as my temporary girlfriend doesn't mean that we are now friends!"

She huffed as she crossed her arms. "I know we're not. I'm just trying to help you. Unless you want to go to Madame Pomfrey and explain this."

He stared at her.

"Who said I was going to Pomfrey to deal with my hand? I know healing charms, thank you."

"But-"

"But what? This isn't rocket science. One wave of my wand and my hand will be good as new. So stop hovering!"

"I'm not hovering! I just said I wanted to help you!" she snapped and then turned confused. "Do you even know what rocket science means?"

He growled.

"No, I just decided to toss that phrase around," he replied with heavy sarcasm. "Please. I'm not _that_ stupid in Muggle phrases, despite what you might think of me."

They then proceeded to a glaring match, willing the other to break away. To Draco's glee, it was Hermione that blinked first. She pursed her lips as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Fine then, let's see you fix it," she said while lifting an eyebrow.

His face went blank. "I don't have to prove anything to you."

"I know you don't. But if you say you are so knowledgeable in healing spells, I want to make sure you are casting them right."

He scoffed. "Whatever."

To his unpleasant surprise, as he tried to walk away, she grabbed his broken hand roughly and brought it to her face and he yelped.

"Oww! What the fuck, Granger?!"

"Well, you wouldn't stop. Now, hold still," she commanded. Before he could remove his hand or say anything else, she waved her wand in an intricate move and he saw blue light jet out of the tip and watched it settle over his hand.

Without warning, his knuckles cracked back in place and he howled from the pain.

"_Fuck_!" he yelled.

She ignored him and rubbed his knuckles while looking over the bruises and dried blood. She shook her head as she began to clean away the blood.

"Oh, stop being such a baby," she said as she continued massaging his hand.

He scowled and jerked it away. "I'm not being a baby. That hurt like a bitch." He tentatively stretched out his fingers and was pleasantly surprised that they were fixed without further pain or soreness. But he wouldn't admit that to her.

"Yeah, well you shouldn't have broken it in the first place," she snapped.

"What I do to my hands is none of your business."

"Hey, I just healed you and saved you the trouble."

"Trouble? I could have done that myself if you hadn't butted in."

"Yeah, right. We both know you didn't know how. And if you did try, you wouldn't have done a good job. Instead, you would have ended up with Madame Pomfrey to rectify your mistake."

He sniffed and decided he'd had enough. Ignoring her, he walked down the hall again.

She can walk her own arse to class. He didn't have the patience to be the doting boyfriend just then. In fact, she should just steer clear of him for the rest of the day.

As he walked away, she stared at his form as it got smaller down the hall.

"A 'thank you' would be nice!" she called out as she saw him open to a classroom. He didn't even look back at her before he walked inside.

She muttered to herself in anger as she walked towards her first class.

Ungrateful ferret boy.

That was the last time she would ever help him. Next time, she'd let him fix his own damn hand and let him wallow in pain!

As Hermione disappeared from sight in aggravation, Ginny, who had been spying at the pair from behind an armour statue, slowly walked out from her hiding place with a frown on her face.

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**A/N: Again, reviews would be lovely!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** First and foremost, thank you to all of you that sent in a review! They are very much appreciated and I am glad you are enjoying it so far. And I know that I shouldn't worry about reviews but let's be honest for a second. Though some of us do write for our own enjoyment, who doesn't like to receive feedback? Just going to put that out there. :) And like I mentioned in my last note, it doesn't have to be long. Just small review/comment/suggestion is good enough.

By the way, I know that I listed the story as 'complete' but it hasn't been posted completely. It is eight chapters long and I am posting them slowly so you can have time to read. The next two chapters are lengthy so I don't want to overwhelm you all by posting everything out at once. Currently I am posting one new chapter a day so there are four more to go. We are halfway there! Woo!

Alright, I'll wrap this up. Here is the next chapter. Enjoy! :D

**Disclaimer: **J.K. Rowling owns it all. I only own this plot.

* * *

**CHAPTER 4:**

_What the hell is going on?_ Ginny thought in confusion.

First, she had seen Parkinson running down the hallway in tears and bawling like a banshee. Luckily, the unbearable girl didn't see Ginny as she passed by and for that she was very thankful. She didn't need a confrontation with pug-face because she knew that she would win-no contest. And she didn't need a detention because of it. So, after Pansy had run off, Ginny's curiosity was peaked. What exactly had happened to her?

With prompt and determined steps, she set out to investigate. However, once she reached the next hallway, she saw Malfoy standing at end of it with his back facing her. She freaked out for a few seconds before quickly scrambling to get out of sight. Since an armoured statue was close by, she hid behind it. Malfoy didn't seem to have heard her or think anything was amiss. Instead, he was too busy running his hands through his hair distractedly. Ginny sighed in relief as quietly as she could. That had been a close call.

Then suddenly, just as she was getting comfortable, a loud bang resounded and she jumped in surprise. Malfoy had just hit his hand against the wall with so much force that it frankly scared her. It quickly became obvious that something serious had happened between him and pug-face; something very emotionally charged. Because she then saw his hand swell to the size of a Quaffle but he didn't even flinch. She cringed when she saw his hand but she still stayed quiet. She also saw that he was taking deep breaths and wasn't really saying anything despite looking very angry.

_OK, this is it! He's going to let it rip!_ she thought with glee and anxiousness.

But to her disappointment, Malfoy was just frowning at the floor as he kept taking deep breaths. A few more seconds ticked by, and he seemed to finally regulate his breathing. Slowly, he began to take a few steps down the hallway.

_Well, that just sucks_, Ginny thought with a pout.

She had been hoping that Malfoy at least rant to himself, something she was well known to do herself. But alas, the boy seemed to have total control over his speaking abilities despite being alone, and he apparently had a well-honed skill of toning down his exuberant emotions.

Ugh, she was utterly disappointed. She had been counting on his other hand to bash into wall or at least have him kick something. But he did neither. Instead, he just inspected his injured hand with a frown.

It then occurred to her that she was probably blowing things out of proportion. Parkinson was known for throwing fits without any real motive. Maybe this was just another one of her capricious antics that didn't really warrant much thought. _Or_, Ginny thought, _maybe she just learned that her precious Malfoy has been seeing my best…er…ex-best friend for a while._ Or so Hermione and Malfoy claimed.

After a few more silent moments, Ginny decided that she was not going to learn anything after all and should probably leave for Quidditch practice.

Just as she was about to step out, she caught a glimpse of that familiar brown curly head and stopped in her tracks. A wicked grin spread on her face. Now this was more like it.

Ginny was pretty sure that Hermione had also heard something smashing against a wall and had more than likely come to investigate. It was no surprise when she saw her gaping at Malfoy with a look of shock.

As Ginny looked back at Malfoy, she noticed that he had spotted Hermione and was scowling at her. That surprised her. Shouldn't he be happy to his 'girlfriend'?

Before she could dissect his look of contempt, he said something but she wasn't sure what it was. But she could tell that he didn't sound happy. And now, they were both walking down the hallway away from Ginny.

She cursed herself.

Despite her hidden position being advantageous for spying, it definitely wasn't much for hearing. But that was okay. Actions speak louder than words. Or say they say. So Ginny continued to stay where she was.

Despite not being able to hear, she saw both Malfoy and Hermione behaving pretty much the same as they always did: him acting like a complete prat while Hermione followed up with an equal scathing rebuttal. Only this time, she saw Hermione grab his injured hand roughly as he yelped out in pain.

Ginny wished she had thought of having a set of Extendable Ears on her person. They definitely would have come in handy at that moment. The couple was now talking with much passion towards each other but it didn't look amorous by any means.

Then, too quickly, ferret boy stalked off and all she was able to hear was Hermione yelling, "A 'thank you' would be nice!"

True to Malfoy's nature, Ginny saw him disappear into his classroom without a word. When the door clicked shut, a disgruntled Hermione began walk back down the hall towards where Ginny was with determined steps and her hands balled up at her sides.

As she passed by the armoured statue, Ginny heard her mutter something along the lines of 'ungrateful ferret boy' and then she was gone.

Once she was sure the coast was clear, Ginny finally moved from her hidden spot with a frown. She tried to make sense of what she'd seen as she walked towards the Entrance hall.

That interaction between Hermione and Malfoy was definitely nothing out of the ordinary, but it definitely didn't scream love or attachment of any kind. So why were they claiming they were together? Had one forced the other to be in the 'relationship'? And if so, why? Why were they trying to pull everyone's leg when it was blatantly clear that they still couldn't stand each other?

She paused and pursed her lips.

Or maybe their current interaction was due to that whiny girl Parkinson's exit? Merlin knew that she brought drama everywhere she went. Were he and Hermione feuding about the girl beforehand? Is that why they were acting so typical towards each other?

And now that she thought about it, what exactly attracted Hermione to that jerk? Because she definitely could not see a good enough reason, especially with what she had just witnessed. Ginny seriously doubted that Hermione was with him because of his looks. Even though she herself couldn't deny that Malfoy was good looking, Hermione wasn't that shallow of a person to base a relationship off on looks. If that were the case, then she wouldn't have been so attached to Ron.

Speaking of which, why had she claimed to have feelings for her brother? Just a few nights ago she was going on and on about how she had no idea how to tell him about them. And yet, here she was, supposedly dating ferret face.

She hadn't even made any moves towards Ron for goodness sake!

That's not to say that her brother wasn't good looking by his own right, however. He did have some features she knew for a fact that some girls found enticing. A good example was his hair. Despite it being shaggy, she remembered last year seeing Lavender running her fingers through it with an awed expression on her face. So that had to be something.

Then again, this was her older brother. She really couldn't judge or gage. That would be wrong on so many levels and she didn't want to lose her breakfast or poke her eyes out for thinking about him that way.

Nevertheless, she also knew that if one was to compare both her brother and Malfoy, there was no way around it; the blonde git was far more attractive of the two. Damn him.

But she also knew that, to Hermione, Malfoy's looks would mean absolutely nothing and would actually be considered a non-noteworthy attribute due to his behaviour.

So what was it, then? Malfoy must have done something in order to gain her friend's favour. Hermione would not be giving him the time of day if he was planning to act like he usually did. Or maybe that was part of his charm?

Ginny shuddered and shook her head.

She hoped that wasn't the case because that was definitely a twisted and unlikely reason. But he must have improved and won her friend's favour somehow, perhaps even impressed her. Maybe it was his current political views on blood? Yeah, that was more plausible.

Hmm. She would have to explore that option more thoroughly later. Now, on to the next order of business which was by far the most pressing...

Why were they now releasing their relationship in public? Why not before? What had been the hold up? They still had to face the wrath of the public, no matter when they did it. So why wait and prolong it? Was it because of Parkinson? And wasn't Malfoy just with her last week, snogging her to oblivion? Or did Ginny just imagine their rendezvous when she was walking to the library? It just didn't add up.

Ginny continued her musings as she walked out the front door. Something fishy was definitely going on. It just didn't make sense. It was like a jigsaw puzzle and some of the pieces were too large to fit together or they were just wrong ones altogether. They weren't clicking into place like they should.

With a deep breath, she made a decision: she was going to get to the bottom of it all. There had to be a catch to this and she refused to accept things as they were.

And no one was going to be the wiser.

With her mind made up, she made a quick detour towards the Owlery. She usually wrote weekly letters to Harry that mentioned happenings and news going on at Hogwarts. And boy, did she have news to share.

* * *

"Will you hurry up?" Draco hissed as he tugged Hermione's hand harder behind him. They were currently walking together towards one of the greenhouses for class. Slughorn seemed to have thought that it would be a great idea to conduct their lesson outdoors that day and they were the last pair of students to arrive.

For some unforeseen reason, Draco thought that it would be a great idea for them to hold hands as they walked. And, being the git that he was, he began to walk faster than she could keep up-again. He was dragging her behind him as if she were an anchor pulling him down. Hermione was reaching her wits end.

"Oww!" she complained as she yanked her hand from his grasp, causing them to stop. "If you keep yanking my hand, I swear to Godric that I will hex you so bad, even Madam Pomfrey won't be able to set you straight!"

"Is that right?" he asked with a sneer and walked towards her.

"It's not only right, it's a fact! I've told you before to stop manhandling me! It will not make me walk any faster!"

They glared at one another for a few seconds before he growled loudly and continued to walk without her, all the while muttering expletives under his breath.

Hermione rolled her eyes and walked a few steps behind him.

Despite being 'together' for a few days now, their so-called relationship had not improved in the least. In fact, it seemed as if it were heading south like an airplane spinning in a downward spiral. They were both getting on each other's bad side repeatedly and once, while they went to the Astronomy tower on the pretence of wanting to be alone, they'd had it out so badly that they wouldn't have been surprised if people had heard them. But luckily for her, Malfoy had set up Silencing charms beforehand and had sealed the door shut.

It was beyond infuriating when the man insisted on tugging her behind him every time he picked her up from her common room. And then there were the times when the git would tease her about the Muggle clothes she wore during her free time. Who the bloody hell did he think he was to mock her trousers? If he didn't like them, then he shouldn't stare at them! And why wouldn't he stop bothering her about Ron? She hadn't even written to him since this whole thing started. Why was he so insistent on pestering her about him? It was very annoying.

But those were the least of her disgruntlements. Her current one had to do with the kiss he had foisted on her without warning earlier that day.

They were both exiting the Great Hall after eating lunch when Theo Nott jeered and teased Draco that she was not satisfied with him, since they were hardly affectionate in public. Without warning, Malfoy had grabbed her face with both hands and kissed her soundly. She fought so hard to keep from gagging or moving away. They were in front of the whole school after all.

Thankfully, the kiss had been brief and closed-lipped. She shuddered at the thought of having his tongue invade her mouth. She hoped they never got there.

When they had parted, he'd given her a lopsided grin before grabbing her hand and walking them out as Nott looked on with his jaw hanging open. After that, it seemed that they finally prove him wrong as well as the rest of Hogwarts.

_Oh, if they only knew what we really feel_, Hermione would lament to herself continuously. But she never had time to dwell on that thought.

As the days passed on, she also noticed that Ginny would try to spy on them from a distance whenever she saw them together. It felt like she looking for a fault or a slip-up and Hermione couldn't help but feel like confessing and saying, _"Yes, your suspicions are correct! We are complete frauds!"_

But instead, when Hermione caught her staring at them for too long, she would force herself to smile sweetly at Malfoy while muttering through her teeth that they were being watched.

Ginny and she were still not on speaking terms since that day in the hall way and Hermione was actually rather upset with her at the moment. Ever since her liaison with Draco was made public, not a day went by where she didn't receive letters from both Harry and Ron. Both kept writing to her that she was being an idiot for getting involved with the ferret and that she should break off the relationship. At first, she was hurt but then she began to get upset. The last straw was the letter she got from Ron two days ago that questioned if she had lost her brains. How dare he question and target her intelligence? Had he or Harry no trust in her at all?

Then again, she never wrote to them about her predicament beforehand and was now at the mercy of whatever Ginny had written.

After that last letter, she proceeded to burn their letters without even opening them. She was tired of being told what she should and should not do. Frankly, it was none of their business. She was actually resolving to keep up the charade if only for the sake of pissing them off. Serves them right for being downright tossers without asking her the full details.

And as if to add more insult to injury, she had been cornered by Pansy Parkinson later that same day. The girl had yelled herself raw about how she had stolen her man and how she was a worthless Mudblood. On and on she went with her rant that Hermione eventually tuned her out after the first five minutes. When the girl finally finished, Hermione responded by calmly deducting house points for severely harassing and agitating the Head Girl. This act caused the Slytherin girl to blanche before shrieking some more. By that point, Hermione had reached her patience's end and walked away, shaking her head while the girl yelled, "Don't you dare walk away from me, _Mudblood_!"

Hermione refused to engage with her anymore. And so she shrugged her shoulders before disappearing from Parkinson's line of sight. She still had some authority, damn it! She refused to be bullied by anyone or coerced to fight over someone she really didn't give a damn about. If the twit was so set on having Draco, then by all means she could take him off her hands for all she cared!

But she knew that that would be counterproductive. Because Hermione later learned that the whole reason why Draco had asked her to be with him was because of pug-face. Though she didn't know the particulars, she just knew it was something big he was trying to avoid. Well, more like she _suspected_ it was something big (maybe an arranged marriage if her hunch was correct), but she couldn't prove it.

She didn't dare ask Draco anything, however. They already fought enough as it was and she didn't want to add another cause into the mix. Plus, the first couple of times she'd pestered him about it, he would just stand up to yell, "For fuck's sake!" before walking out. It was just not worth it.

She just hoped that their relationship didn't last past the winter holidays. She was getting fed up with all the damn chaos he was creating in her life. She had had enough stress and his was unwarranted.

Maybe she should start dropping some hints about how long she thought this relationship should last. Or maybe even suggest breaking up? A week of being in this hell was enough, right? Parkinson was somewhat subdued, it seemed, and the following week was the winter break. Surely he didn't mean to extend it for more than that, right?

Right?

Anyway, she was just so sick of the whole thing. And today, more than ever, she was feeling like it would be a good day to start dropping those hints. It just wasn't worth being this angry and pissed off all the time. Not to mention that it was emotionally draining.

When she saw him get closer to the greenhouse door, she stopped and stared at him. She debated how she should broach the subject. Should she be considerate or just drop the bomb right away?

She scoffed. Considerate? Now there's a concept that he probably did not know even if it bit him in the bum. She shook her head. Bluntness would work best.

Just as he reached for the handle, Hermione spoke up, "This isn't working."

He paused and then turned around to look at her. His face remained passive but she knew that he was starting to get upset.

"What?" he asked quietly.

"This," she said as she waved a hand between them. "I don't believe for a second that we've fooled anyone."

"Yeah, well, your constant need to bitch about things hasn't helped matters."

She gaped.

"_My_ bitchiness? Ha! I'm not the only one at fault here. In case you've forgotten, it takes two people to make a relationship work."

"Oh, I haven't forgotten. But if you're going to blame anyone, you should blame yourself. Your need to nag about everything is what is giving us away."

She gasped. "I do _not_ nag!"

"Yes, you _do_."

"Do not!"

He lifted an eyebrow at her questioningly while she huffed and lifted her nose in the air.

"Fine, then. I'll play this game. I whole-heartedly disagree. I think that it's mostly your lack of chivalry and attentiveness that's killing our relationship."

"Lack of…Right. Because my walking you to and from places isn't chivalrous! I even kiss you on the cheek goodbye every time despite my reservations on the matter! What else is there to do?"

"What? That's not chivalrous! You just keep yanking me behind you and then you slobber all over my cheek!"

"I do _not_-"

"And then there's that pug-faced female of yours! Which, reminds me, will you please muzzle and keep her away from me? I am very tired of her cornering me to rant how I've stolen you away from her when I have duties to full fill. It's beyond annoying!"

"She is _not _my female!"

"Could have fooled me by the way she goes on and on about you."

"Granger, shut _up_. You don't know anything and I've told you repeatedly to drop that subject! Now, why don't you try-"

"How about you try being more polite or considerate!" she cut in. "Or be more understanding! And will you stop contradicting e_verything_ that I say! I am so _sick_ of having to make the effort when all you do is criticize every little thing! What's the point in staying 'together' if we can't even stand being _in the same room_?!"

"You know why! You agreed to help me unless you want to face the consequences!"

"Yes, yes, I agreed! But I didn't sign up for personal attack of my person EVERY DAY!"

Draco glared daggers at her instead of answering back. How dare she raise her voice at him? He wasn't the only one that was acting like a jerk in this scenario, or flinching when he got close to her in public. And furthermore, he wasn't the only one attacking her person! She gave as good as she got!

"Personal attacks? I think you're the one with the attacking problem! Need I show you the bruises you've been inflicting on my arms? I have some pretty fresh ones from today!"

"That's because you're continuously acting like an utter prat! Would it kill you to be decent? At the very least when I have to study?"

"Maybe. Though your need for physical violence is utterly unnecessary."

"Ha! I'll be the judge of that. It might even stop if you refrain from being a jerk."

He continued to glare at her as she frowned back at him.

It really was no use trying to argue with her once she thought she was in the right. But fuck it all, she was beyond irritating! All he wanted to do was provoke her some more; she brought out the worst in him. And did she have to be such a swot when she thought she was in the right sometimes? Bloody annoying.

Fine, he'd make an even bigger damn effort. Just to shut her the _fuck up_.

He sighed deeply. He already felt regret for what he was going to do.

"Okay," he said.

She stared back in surprise. "Okay?"

"Fine, I'll try better."

Her eyes widened. Did he just offer…a truce?

Before she could answer, he continued while jabbing a finger at her, "But if I see or feel that you aren't even trying yourself, then that's it. I'm done. I don't care if we kill ourselves in the process. This relationship stays and keeps its current course regardless. And I will not allow myself to be reduced to being your whipping boy or one of those idiot friends of yours that lets you boss them around."

She gave a humourless laugh. "A whipping boy? Hardly." She then frowned. "So you're still intent on being together? I thought you said this was only temporary?"

"It is."

"So…when will it end?" she asked with a slight cringe. _Way to show some finesse, Hermione. _

"When I say it's over," he replied with a shrug.

"That's not an appropriate answer."

"Too bad. That's all you're getting."

She scowled but kept her lips shut in order to keep from snapping back. Malfoy had just agreed to a truce of sorts a few seconds ago. If they were going to keep this going, she didn't want to jeopardize that.

Fine, she'd let that inappropriate response slide. But he really better try to be more complacent.

Before either could say anything else, professor Slughorn popped his head out of the Greenhouse and eyed both students with a look of confusion.

"Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy, will you be joining us soon? I would really like to get our lesson started before the leaves dry up."

"Of course. Sorry, Professor," Hermione responded.

With a second glance at the blond, she squared her shoulders while lifting her head up high and marched right in without another word.

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**A/N: Like last time, please review :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **Again, many thanks to you all for reading, reviewing and for following this story! It really is much appreciated. :D

I will also be answering your reviews personally at a later time. Right now, unfortunately, life and work have a way of interfering when least expected. But I am not ignoring them! I'm just a bit busy.

And before I forget, I am almost done with the new chapter for "Starting Anew"! My goal is to send it to my beta before this week is over. But if not, then for sure next week and then I'll post it ASAP when it gets edited! I know I kind of left it off in suspense and for that I am very sorry. Just know that it will get updated SOON!:D

Anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 5:**

"Granger, pass me the book, will you?"

"Mmm."

"Granger."

"Hmm?"

"The book?"

"What book?"

"The one by your left-hand side. I need to check a reference."

Without even looking up, she picked it up and handed it to him.

He smirked at this but said nothing. What could she possibly be reading that had her attention so enthralled to keep her from looking up at him? He shook his head as he cracked open the book.

It was Friday night and they were currently in the library working on their homework. Well, more like _he_ was working. Granger was accompanying him with a book. Despite being busy with Head Girl duties, she had finished all her work and was currently reading ahead for their Arithmancy class. From the looks on Granger's face as she read, their next couple of classes would be tough. He shuddered to think about what was coming up next but decided not to dwell on that and just focus on his current work.

After their unlikely truce two weeks ago, things seemed to improve somewhat. They still bickered occasionally but it no longer had the lethal bite it did in the past. It was actually a bit of a challenge since they were going against their nature, so to speak. But it was paying off, slowly but surely. At times, Draco had to bite his tongue in order to keep from lashing out in spite and he noticed that Granger would ball her hands into fists in order to avoid striking him. It still surprised him that she was capable of being physically violent. Not that it even hurt half the time she struck him. Instead, her previous attempts had made him laugh, much to Hermione's growing irritation. He just never expected that she would resort to that type of behaviour. Then again, she had struck him once when they were in third year.

But anyway, they both were making an effort. Without a second thought now, Draco walked Granger down the hallway at a reasonable pace. They occasionally held hands in public while they walked to class and despite not having to kiss all too frequently, they were rather civil while speaking to each other in non-public areas. Draco even suggested a week ago that they should start studying together after dinner, for the sake of appearances. Surprisingly, Hermione had agreed and they'd claimed a table at the back.

As they started to work together, Hermione noticed that Draco was in need of help in one of his subjects. Needless to say, he was angry at her interference. But it wasn't so much because of her butting in, but rather from embarrassment. He knew he had been struggling with Transfiguration but he didn't want to admit it. Especially to her who excelled at almost everything.

It took some time for him to realize that Hermione was genuinely trying to help and that she wasn't interested in teasing him for his short-coming. Slowly and hesitantly, he dropped his defences and grudgingly accepted the tutoring she offered. In fact, it actually ended up being an unexpected perk; a perk he was thankful for, though he would never admit it out loud.

In short, their temporary truce was like a breath of fresh air. For once, he felt slightly relaxed despite noticing that Pansy or the Weaselette would spy on them at the most random times. He couldn't help but shrug at their attempts. He was content, Hermione was cooperating and all was going smoothly. If they still couldn't believe it, then fuck them. Who cared what they thought anyway?

However, though their 'relationship' was less strained, he couldn't help but feel that they were somewhat incomplete in it. He had actually toyed with an idea before bed last night and was actually hoping to bring it up during their study session. He just didn't know how.

When he reached finished his work, he decided to lean back in his chair and stretch his arms above his head. He took that time to take in her outfit; she was wearing a dark blue jumper he had seen her wear all too frequently. Sometimes it made him wonder if she was lacking in jumpers or if it was simply her favourite.

_Or, _he thought_, was she subconsciously expressing a hidden desire to be a Ravenclaw? _He snickered quietly. He couldn't blame her if she did. She was too smart to be in Gryffindor. He often wondered why the Sorting Hat had placed her there, but whatever. The damage was already done and an insufferable Gryffindor she was.

An appealing looking Gryffindor, if he were honest with himself. It was just a shame that her mouth didn't know when to shut up or know when she was pushing her limits.

Then again, he could always just stuff a sock in it.

A small smile tugged at his lips at that last musing while his eyes strayed up to her face. He noticed that one of her fingers had taken to twirling the ends of her hair lazily as she chewed on her bottom lip ruthlessly.

_I wonder what she would say about my suggestion,_ he thought, while being mesmerized by her lip.

"Granger?" he asked.

"Hmm?"

"Can we talk?"

"Hmm."

"Are you even listening?"

She sighed. "Yes. What do you want, Malfoy?" she asked him while still reading.

"Can you put down your bloody book for a second?"

"Why?"

"I have something to ask and I rather you look at me and not get side-tracked by some theory or other."

With a soft snort, she put the book down and looked straight at him with a look that said, 'Well?'

"You have my rapt attention."

He smirked at her as he sat up straighter, placing his elbows on the table. He also extended his legs and accidentally brushed them against hers. At this, her eyes widened a bit in surprise before returning to looking passive. Yet, she didn't make an effort to move herself away; neither did he.

"What exactly does that book offer that you can't get from me?"

She snorted. "Many things. But in this case, the next couple of pages for our upcoming lesson."

"And is it really that exciting?" he asked while curling his face in disgust.

"Of course it is. I'll have you know that the author Yuli Blishen has done a marvellous-"

"Ugh! Stop! Forget I asked." He just shook his head at her. Bookworm til the day she dies.

A small smile tugged at her lips. "Is that what you wanted to ask?"

"No, Granger, that wasn't what I wanted to ask," he replied with mild sarcasm. "Actually, I have a suggestion I wanted to bring up. An idea, if you will."

"Oh?"

He shifted in his chair and cleared his throat. "As you know, we've been getting along pretty well these last couple of weeks. An accomplishment which is undoubtedly monumental - _don't_ mock me."

Hermione pressed her lips together but said nothing. He glared at her as she looked back in innocence before continuing.

"As I was _saying_," he said with a slight edge, "It has been monumental. But, it is my strong belief that we are still missing something very essential. Something we haven't done and should."

"…which is?"

"A public outing."

"You mean…a date?"

"Yes."

She stared back. _Was he serious?_

"Do you really think it's necessary?" she hedged. "We've been pretty good at convincing almost everyone about us already."

He frowned. "What's wrong with my suggestion?"

"Nothing! It's just…unnecessary in my opinion."

"Unnecessary?"

"Yes, unnecessary. We have public outings every other day. Take tonight, for example. This is a great exercise of it."

Draco continued to frown for a few more seconds before a slow wicked grin began to stretch over his face.

Hermione cringed. She knew that look. And she hated what usually followed.

"Merlin's saggy pants, is Granger afraid of a date?"

She blushed slightly. "No."

"Really? Because it sounds to me that you are nervous about the very idea of one."

"That's not it. You're being ridiculous."

He cocked his head to the side, staring straight at her. "Am I?"

"Yes." She turned away from him, looking at anything while shifting her book in her hands.

"I mean, I understand if that leads to confusion on your end. If I were to date me, I'd be sweating bullets at the idea of spending so much time around my handsomeness."

Her blush intensified and she scowled. "Now you're being delusional."

"It's no delusion. Are you saying you don't find me good looking?"

"Who said anything about looks?"

"You're avoiding the question."

"Because it's stupid."

"Why are you avoiding it? It's a simple yes or no."

"Malfoy, stop."

"So you _do_ think I'm good looking?"

"Stop it!"

"It's OK if you do, you know." He rubbed one of his legs against hers slowly. She jumped at the contact and moved them away, looking flustered. He smirked and stretched out his legs farther, trying to get his feet to touch hers. He loved to unsettle her this way.

At his antics, Hermione scowl intensified. "If you must know, that big head and vile mouth of yours are major turn-offs, despite your physical attributes."

"Funny, you never complained about my mouth. Especially when it's occupied on yours."

She turned magenta. "That was out of necessity."

"Maybe. But you like my vile mouth. Don't deny it."

"Whatever. The fact remains that you're far from attractive."

"Liar."

"You're repulsive. Hideous, actually."

"Then why are you blushing?"

She turned away with a lift of her nose. She had had it. She would not get dragged into anymore teasing.

Suddenly, she felt his foot touch hers slowly. She kicked it away.

"Will you stop trying to touch me?!"

"Ouch! Must you resort to physical violence? And I'm not. I was just stretching. Can't help if your feet are in the way now, can I?"

She glared at him as he continued to smirk.

They proceeded to get into a staring match: she glaring and he smirking. It wasn't until Hermione finally scoffed in indignation and picked up her book again that their little contest ended. He broke out into a big grin.

Ever since he discovered that she grew uncomfortable at his teasing, he used it against her as many times as he could. Before, he would include jibes about the weasel but he personally hated involving him so he stopped. Instead, he would tease her about being attracted him and it worked much better. Without fail, he succeeded in either getting her quiet or raising a reaction from her whenever she tried to ignore him. He knew that he was probably walking a dangerous line with it but he couldn't stop. A blushing Granger was a sight to behold.

But enough was enough. He decided that it was time to try a different tactic. He couldn't explain why, but he really wanted to try his suggestion. Was that so terrible?

He sat up in his chair again and while rearranging his facial features to neutral, he tentatively reached out across the table, lowering her book down. She sighed.

"Don't you have work to finish instead of bothering me?" she asked in exasperation.

"But you are so much fun to tease."

She frowned. "If you plan to keep that up, I'm leaving."

"Fine."

"Fine." With a snap of her book, she stood up and began to collect her things. But before she could put them away, his hand was on her arm.

"I meant fine, I'm done," he said.

She stared at him, trying to gauge how sincere he was. But, as usual, his faced showed nothing. Typical. She hated when she couldn't read him.

Against her better judgement, she sighed in aggravation and sat back down. Draco had to fight to keep a smile of triumph from tugging at his lips as he released her arm.

When she settled again, he tried once more.

"Granger, seriously, what's the big deal? So we go out, have a Butterbeer and come back. It's not as if I'm proposing to you. It's a date. I just want to change the scenery."

She gnawed on her bottom lip but said nothing.

"Why are you being so hesitant?"

She blushed again. "I'm not being hesitant. It's just…"

"Just what?"

"I just…I don't understand why we should. We've been fine as we are."

"Why are you making a big deal out of this?"

"Why are _you_ pushing this?"

"I'm not. I just want to go somewhere. I am so fucking bored at looking at these walls. Aren't you? Plus, this venture will essentially be like catching the Snitch and winning the match."

She raised an eyebrow at this. "Exactly what is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I get to get out of here and we also flaunt us in public. It's a win-win."

When she didn't reply, he scoffed.

"Come on, you know that we still have a few people who haven't bought in. I'm sure you have seen them lurking about, trying to suss us out. They may even be in the bookshelves right now. So let's give them a show. Let's try this."

She narrowed her eyes at him. What was his real motive? Their relationship was more than OK the way it was. Why was it so important for him to go through with this? And yes, she knew that Ginny and Parkinson were still stalking them on occasion. But what of that? So far, they hadn't been able to prove anything.

Then again, what was the big deal if they went through with it? They were already public and a trip to Hogsmeade was something she had been putting off due to her duties. Hmm. Now that she thought about it, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

"OK," she finally responded.

"OK?"

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"Malfoy, if you don't stop repeating every single word I say, I will take back my decision."

"No no, you've already agreed. You can't go back on your word. Don't want to turn out into a bigger liar, do you?" he said while sending her a wink.

"I am not a liar!" she shot back in frustration. She didn't even catch the wink.

"Whatever," he answered with a wave of his hand. "Now, since you've agreed, how about we go to The Three Broomsticks tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? But…don't you usually have Quidditch practice?"

"Yes. But as team captain, I can schedule them whenever I want."

"But wouldn't a last minute change mess up your team's plans?"

"Granger, don't worry about it. I'll let them know practice is changed to another time, first thing tomorrow morning."

"Then how-"

"Oh, for fuck's sake, I'll make sure to let them know tonight before bed. Happy?"

She frowned and balled her hands into fists. Stupid prat.

"No," she snapped. "For your information, that wasn't what I was alluding to."

"No?"

"_No_."

"Then what?" he asked in irritation.

"I was going to say that we should plan to go after breakfast. That way, you can still have your bloody practice in the morning and I'll be able to eat breakfast leisurely. Though now I'm rethinking the trip altogether."

"Well too bad for you, you've already agreed to this. And fine. Your consideration is _much_ appreciated. I thank ye."

She scowled at his sarcastic reply and quickly picked up her book again in an attempt to ignore him once more. He took that as his cue to resume his work. Resuming conversation with her was impossible now.

As he picked up his quill, he couldn't stop the grin that spread.

_Round one for Draco_, he thought in amusement.

* * *

**A/N: Review please :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **Glad to see that you're all still enjoying this fanfic! Thank you sooooo much for your support and enthusiasm! It definitely makes me smile and encourages me. :)

And just FYI again, the story IS complete. It's eight chapters long and I'm just spacing out the posting of chapters so you all can have time to read them. This next one is pretty long. But thank you to those of you that have offered to continue it.

Hope this next chapter is just as satisfying! :)

* * *

**Chapter 6:**

The walk towards Hogsmeade was awkward at best. They weren't talking and Malfoy seemed intent on keeping it that way. The only thing he had done was insist on holding her hand, so all she heard was the crunch of the snow under their boots as they walked away from Hogwarts.

Without even asking her, he had opted for them to walk there instead of taking a Thestral-pulled carriage, though now he seemed to be regretting that decision. They were currently being followed by a mob of Hufflepuffs.

Well, that was a lie. The group was in front of them but they kept looking back as if to double-check the sight behind them. Their musing didn't last long, however. Whenever they turned to look back, Draco glowered darkly at them for being nosey. They turned quickly and began taking bigger strides in order to give them space. Hermione was actually baffled by the group's reaction. Why were they making such a big deal about this? It wasn't anything new.

She shook her head.

And then there was Malfoy's behaviour earlier that morning. What was his problem? Had he woken up on the wrong side of his bed?

She frowned. Actually, now that she about it, he was a bit more surly than usual.

When he had arrived at the Great Hall, she had asked him how his practice had gone. Instead of giving her a typical witty response, he just gave her a one-worded reply before walking away. When she didn't follow right away, he looked back at her with a look that marked deep irritation. This caused her to stare back in surprise and just as she was about to get up, he grabbed her arm none-too-gently and practically dragged her out. When she protested and asked what the hell his problem was, he sent her a glare that brooked no further questions. She snapped her mouth shut and scowled at the back of his head. She would cooperate for now. But, she swore to herself that would get answers when they were at the pub.

Her frown deepened as she recalled that detail. Why was she cooperating to begin with? She hadn't even suggested the trip - it had been his idea to begin with! She had half a mind to pull her arm away and head back towards her common room. To hell with their date. If this was the behaviour that awaited her at the pub, then she'd rather spend it working on Liquid Luck before lunchtime.

She was so close to finishing the potion - she could feel it. One more round of testing and it should be ready by next week when it was time to leave for break. Well, as long as she added the last ingredient she was missing. Who knew that one ingredient could make such a difference? When she discovered that the other day, she felt like smacking herself. How could she have overlooked that detail? It was no wonder the potion was looking so thick. She needed dragon liver.

Anyway, who needs to deal with a cranky Malfoy? Certainly not her. She had enough stress and worries as it were.

* * *

As Hermione fantasized about finishing her potion and escaping from his clutches, Draco was quite absorbed in his own thoughts and oblivious to her musings.

Early that morning he had received a letter from his father. Well, a Howler to be exact. Before it went off, he quickly drew his bed curtains closed and casted a Silencing Charm. He didn't want his roommates to hear it. It was six in the morning, after all, and Merlin knew that they would be upset by it, Blaise especially. Not only that, but Blaise would also proceed to pester him about it relentlessly and that was something Draco did not want to deal with at all.

He knew his father was going to be upset upon hearing of his current endeavours, though he was surprised that it had taken him so long to learn about it. Needless to say, when the Howler began, Draco was anything but happy. And by the time it fell to shreds, he was royally pissed off.

How dare his father send him a Howler? Despite his anger in the past, he had never sent Draco one. So why had he done so now? Not only that, but how dare he threaten to rectify the situation in person? Draco scoffed at that. He knew that that was an empty threat, unless his father wanted to risk more years under house arrest. Lucius may be many things but stupid and reckless he was not.

However, what really got him angry was his father's ultimatum: either Draco fixes things between himself and Pansy or he was not to come back home at all.

He was eighteen, for Merlin's sake! He had time! Why was his father forcing him to be with that girl? Was it because of Pansy and her suspected whining to her own father? Actually, he didn't really give weight to that last question. Because regardless of Pansy's crying, he knew it would bear no results in her favour where his father was concerned. So what was it then? Was it their social status? The Parkinson fortune? _What?!_

Draco had been so sure that, even though his father would make his disappointment known initially, he would eventually over-look Granger's blood and grudgingly accept her due to her merits. She was Potter's best friend for crying out loud! And the smartest witch of their age. Not to mention, a recipient of an Order of Merlin. And, from what he had learned from others, her family was rather well off since they were both a type of Muggle doctor. Didn't that mean anything?

Apparently not. Not in the least. All that war for blood and change, completely lost on his father. Draco felt so stupid for believing that he could, at the very least, alter Lucius' point of view. But no, that letter was a major indicator that things were very much the same. It made Draco sick to acknowledge just how brainwashed and deep-rooted these beliefs were ingrained in his father.

At least his mother shared none of Lucius opinions, which was something he was rather thankful for. In fact, she had written him a few days ago about this very subject but with a very different outlook. She had even suggested he bring Hermione over during the winter hols so she could meet her. That invitation had given Draco small hope. If his mother was going out of her way to extend such a thing, then his father must have known whom he was seeing.

But now it was painfully obvious that he hadn't known. Fucking fantastic.

On the bright side (if it could even be considered one), this made things a bit easy for him. All he had to do now was break it off with Granger, look for Pansy and, dare he say it, propose. He cringed at that last thought. He really didn't want to do that. The thought of having to spend the rest of his life tied down with that harpy made his skin crawl.

Ugh, no no no no no! He couldn't be tied down to that bint! Before the day was over, he decided that he would write a letter to his father. Ultimatum be damned. This couldn't be his only option. He still had time! He is young! He refuses to be forced to an arrangement when he still hadn't explored all his options and he was damn sure that there were some.

Besides, Draco was not ready to accept that his efforts had been for nothing. He did not want to recognize it as failure, because it wasn't. Not to him, anyway. Plus, though he wouldn't admit it aloud to himself, he had grown accustomed to Granger's presence. She had become a source of calm and familiarity. The same could be said about the feel of her hands and her mannerisms. If he cut her out of his life completely, he had no doubt that he would feel withdrawals. And that was something Draco did not want to endure. Not now, not yet.

Before bed last night he'd come to a revelation that he could no longer deny: Granger was in his every waking thought.

A great example was the other day, when he knew that she would be missing for dinner due to Head Girl duties. As he ate, he thought to himself_, is she hungry?_ And then, just as quickly, he squashed down that ridiculous thought. What the fuck did he _care_? Surely she knew that she could call on a house-elf for food. But then another string of questions ran through his head: _Does she need help? Is she OK? Would she want me to walk her back to her dorm? _He had shaken his head, trying to clear his mind but it didn't work. In the end, he growled in irritation to himself as he stormed out of the Hall towards his dorm with a small twinge of regret.

And then there was last night, when he walked her to her dorm after their study session. Before giving it a second thought, he had swooped in to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. But once he did it, he lingered there for a few more seconds than was necessary and his hand came up of its own accord to tuck back an unruly curl he had spotted. He could still remember vividly the puffs of air emitting from her onto his neck and how her eyes had stayed locked with his, wide in surprise. If it wasn't for the book that had slipped from her fingers and crashed to the floor, he dared not think what could have happened between them. It was a good thing that she had slipped through the portrait hole as if she were being chased by a three-headed dog.

It was getting confusing for him and all the touching and kissing wasn't helping. He knew that he was partly to blame, since he was the one that usually initiated it. He was also the one teasing her relentlessly with comments that he secretly wished were true. At times, he'd sometimes wish to take things further when they kissed. But, with a lot of effort, he held himself back. She was good kisser and her lips were plump and pliant under his. Sometimes, it took him Herculean efforts to stop himself from kissing her deeply.

Nevertheless, he couldn't say the same thing about his hands. They always ended up either tangled in her hair, at the back of her neck or cupping her cheeks. He loved how she felt in his hands. Her skin was delicate and smooth, her neck slender. Without fail, he would make sure to grab a hold of her neck when they feigned intimacy in public and wouldn't let go until it was time for them to part ways.

As he already had admitted to himself, she was good looking. Though she wasn't drop dead gorgeous or dressed up as he usually preferred, she was attractive in her own way. Her hair was surprisingly soft despite being a bundle of unruly curls. She had a natural blush on her cheeks that would appear when flustered and her eyes would shine amber when she was happy. Make-up was definitely not a necessity for her and he was happy about that fact. Sometimes, girls would go overboard with it and he would pinch his face in disappointment at their efforts. Thankfully, he didn't have to worry about that with Hermione. She hardly wore anything of the sort and au naturale was a good look for her.

Along with her natural looks, there were also her clothes. Though they were Muggle and he sometimes teased her about them, they actually accentuated her frame decently. She was slightly tall, well proportioned and fit. Her clothes did a great job of highlighting her hips and chest without calling for too much attention. In fact, sometimes he would yearn to grab those hips, just so he could pull her-

_Stop it! _he reprimanded himself as he groaned softly and released Hermione's hand. _It's not worth thinking about… those things. Not right now._

Now that he thought about it, it had been a month since he had his last shag and having her in such close proximity these last couple of days wasn't making things easier. He had a very vivid imagination after all. What the heck was he thinking, proposing this idea last night? He clearly was a masochist.

Maybe a clean break would be a good idea after all._ If I stay away, _he reasoned_, then I'm sure to get her out of my system. Right?_

_Right?_

He ran his hands through his hair while looking at the snow-covered ground, hoping that it contained the answer for him. Sadly, it did not.

* * *

His sudden movements caused Hermione to look up at him in confusion. When he made no effort to explain, she shrugged and continued to walk ahead without him. She was actually glad that he had released her hand. When they were walking, his hold had begun to turn iron-clad. It was becoming very uncomfortable and she'd been getting close to shaking her hand out of his grip.

Regardless, she couldn't help thinking: _what is wrong with him?_

She looked back to see if he was catching up. He hadn't. He was still a few steps behind her, staring at the ground with a lost look. Whatever he was thinking, it didn't seem to be anything good.

She shook her head again.

Now wasn't the time to dwell on him or his personal crisis. They were getting close to Hogsmeade now. She could see the rooftop of Honeydukes and the Three Broomsticks wasn't too far from there. During the walk, she decided that she would just have a quick drink and get out. She felt no need to badger him for answers anymore. If he wanted to continue to be surly, then fine. She had no need to be around it. There was no reason why she had to stick around. Besides, his current behaviour was making her jumpy.

As she made to grab the door-handle of the pub, Draco's hand flashed in front of her quickly. She gasped in surprise.

Without looking at her, he opened the door and nodded his head towards the pub entrance.

"Ladies' first," he murmured.

She turned to look at him in surprise. She hadn't heard him catch up and, despite his efforts to keep his face blank, she could still see that he was a bit flustered. She narrowed her eyes. What was causing him to be so off?

When she didn't move, he turned his gaze to her and raised an eyebrow in question.

At that moment, she realizes that she wasn't going to learn anything from him. So with a sigh, she huffed and walked in.

When he shut the door, Hermione saw that the pub was already bustling with business. Their class-mates were all over the place, chattering cheerfully amongst themselves while they drank and ate. When she took a quick scan of the room for a table, she spotted Ginny sitting with Luna.

With a gasp, she looked away quickly, trying to avoid being spotted. But it was a wasted effort. Within a few seconds, Ginny found her and stared back.

Hermione hated when Ginny did that. It was like she had cast a locator spell on Hermione, always spotting her quickly before proceeding to stare. She no longer sent Hermione dirty looks but it was still disarming. And bloody annoying.

With a lift of her head, Hermione walked past her table with determined steps, all the while trying to ignore Ginny. She just hoped that she was able to find a table as far away as possible from the red-head. The last thing she needed was to be looked at as if she were from the zoo. She didn't need to add on to her already jumpy nerves, thanks very much.

After a few more seconds of searching, she finally spotted a table by a window on the other side of the pub and made her way to it. But as she was about to sit, Draco grabbed her elbow. She looked up with a frown. What was wrong with that table?

He shook his head without looking at her. "Not here," he said.

"Why? What's wrong with it?"

"Too noisy."

She rolled her eyes. "News flash, Malfoy: this is a pub. Anywhere we decide to sit is going to be noisy."

Finally, he looked at her and smirked slightly. "True. But we can always cast a Silencing Charm and enjoy a bit of privacy."

"But...there are hardly any tables available as it is."

"Yes there are. I just spotted one back there," he replied as he jabbed a thumb towards it.

"Alright then, you lead the way."

As they passed the people sitting by the bar area, Hermione couldn't help but feel a bit anxious. Their gawking was anything but discreet. She was really starting to hate that she'd agreed to this outing more and more.

"Don't pay them any mind," Draco whispered to her as he glared back at the crowd.

"I wouldn't if it wasn't so bloody unnerving," she whispered back.

"This isn't the first time," he reminded her as he pulled out her chair.

"You don't say," she replied in sarcasm while sitting down.

He ignored that comment as he sat across from her and snatched up a menu from the table. He was still unsure of how to proceed but tried to keep his face as neutral as possible.

"Order whatever you want. It's on me," he quipped in an offhand tone.

Hermione scowled at that.

Just as she was about to open her mouth to decline his offer, Madam Rosmerta came up to their table.

"What can I get you dears?" she asked in a cheery tone.

Draco stiffened at the sight of the pub owner. She was currently smiling broadly at Hermione but he knew that once she glanced at him, that smile would be gone. He still wasn't well received after his little stunt from a few years ago.

"A Butterbeer, please."

"And for you?" she asked as she turned towards him. As he had expected, the owner's smile drops.

"Butterbeer."

Without another word, Madam Rosmerta walked away. Draco released a small sigh. Guess he was lucky he was even allowed to set foot in the pub.

"You know, if you are uncomfortable coming here, we could have gone somewhere else," Hermione said with a shrug.

"Is that right?"

"Yes."

"And where exactly would we have gone?"

"Well...there's the Hog's Head, that other pub down the street…and Madam Puddifoot's," she replied while wrinkling her nose a little at her last suggestion.

He gave a mirthless chuckle. "This place is fine."

"All I'm saying is that we don't have to be here specifically."

"For your information, I like it here."

"You do?"

"'Course I do."

"Oh."

"Surprised?"

"Well, yes."

"Why? You didn't think I'd appreciate an establishment like this?"

"No, that's not it. I didn't think you and your lot would frequent this place."

"'My lot'?"

"You know, you...Slytherins."

"You mean us pure-blooded, rich, snobby bigots?"

As soon as those words were out of his mouth, Madame Rosmerta came back and dropped off their drinks. Without asking if they wanted anything else, she left.

Hermione sighed. Guess she was in for the cold treatment as well. She picked up her mug as Draco waved his wand, placing a Silencing charm around them.

"That wasn't what I meant," she defended herself.

"No, but you thought it."

"Maybe...but it still isn't a nice thing to say aloud."

He snorted quietly.

They sipped their beverages in silence. While they drank, Hermione noticed that Draco was distracted as he glanced around the pub. In fact, if her hunch was correct, it was like he was trying to look anywhere else but her. Her brows furrowed at that. What was going on with him?

She shook her head. She knew better than to ask. So instead of voicing her question, she tilted her drink up for another sip.

"You don't really know me, Granger."

That comment made her choke. It was so sudden and abrupt and caught her off guard.

He smiled smugly as she sputtered and coughed.

"I suppose not," she answered with a raspy tone. "Then again, you really don't know me either."

At her response, Malfoy didn't say anything and resumed to his people watching as silence filled their table again. Hermione then wondered why he'd bothered to cast a spell if he planned to remain quiet. At the very least, the pub noise would have been far more pleasant than hearing nothing. The silence was making her more uncomfortable.

As another minute passed with no further exchange, Hermione began to run numbers in her head. If her estimated calculations were correct, she had about four more gulps to go before she finished off her drink. If she took those big gulps consecutively, she would be finished within the next two minutes. Afterwards, if she gave him another two minutes, she could come up with a believable excuse to leave. She had some personal errands to run, after all.

With that plan in mind, she raised the mug to her lips to begin. But before she could take a sip, he surprised her again.

"What do you and your family do for Christmas?"

Her eyes widened in surprise.

"What?" she asked, not sure if she had heard him right.

"Christmas. Don't you Muggles celebrate that holiday as well?"

"Yes, of course we do."

When she didn't elaborate, he raised his eyebrows.

"And?" he asked as he waved a hand for her to continue.

"And what?"

"What do you do?" he asked her slowly.

She frowned a bit, setting her mug down. "Why do you care?"

He shrugged. "Just making conversation," he drawled. "No need to be rude."

"I wasn't being rude."

"Could have fooled me with that tone. Besides, you just said I don't know you. So talk. Tell me how the Grangers do Christmas."

She pursed her lips together and exhaled loudly through her nose. Did he have to be so…annoying every time he opened his mouth?

When she didn't answer right away, he let out a frustrated sigh as he resumed his private musings without another word. She knew what he was trying to do; he was trying to make her feel guilty for being a jerk when she hadn't done anything wrong. Ugh, she hated when he played that card.

She groaned internally but supposed she could amuse him. That way, he wouldn't make a big deal out of her leaving if she cut their date short.

"My mother cooks a ham," she finally replied.

"Ham," he repeated while twisting his mug in his hands.

"Yes, a ham. With pineapple pieces hanging around it so it has a tangy kick."

"Hmm. What else?" he asked as he downed his beverage.

"Well…we sing various carols that play from my dad's turntable as we decorate our tree."

His eyebrows dipped down together. "Turntable?"

"Yes."

When he continued to look confused, a light bulb went off in her head. Oh, right.

"It's a machine that's similar to a gramophone but it plays discs one at a time. We have many Christmas discs that were grandpas and grandmas which is why we use it. Dad refuses to buy cassettes." She lets out a small chuckle as she remembered. No matter how much her mother insisted that her father should upgrade, he always argued that it wouldn't be the same and break their holiday tradition.

Draco, meanwhile, shook his head as he took all this in. He had no idea what cassettes were either but didn't care. Instead, he asked "What kind of carols do you sing?"

"Well, aren't you suddenly chatty Cathy?"

"Chatty what?"

"Never mind," she muttered. No use explaining that American Muggle expression.

"Ok...So what do you sing?"

She sighed. Now that she'd opened this can of worms, she might as well pour them out. "Oh, you know, the typical ones. 'Good King Wenceslas', 'Ding Dong Merrily on High' and 'Deck the Halls'. It definitely helps get into the spirit of things."

Just talking about these things was beginning to make Hermione depressed. She really hoped that she would find her parents before Christmas. She was so sick of feeling lonely.

She gave her head a little shake, as if to clear away those thoughts, and looked back at him. She hoped he hadn't caught her looking wistful.

Thankfully, Malfoy wasn't looking at her. Instead, he replied, "Hmm, interesting…"as his eyes focused on nothing in particular. From the look on his face, it seemed that he was imagining the whole scene at the Granger household, their laughter and warmth. So much different than his own, perhaps.

At his pensive look, she decided it was time for her to ask questions as well.

"And what about you?"

"Hmm?" he asked, coming out of his reverie.

"What do you Malfoys do for their holiday?"

He looked down towards the table, as if trying to decide what to say. "A Malfoy Yule ball," he finally answered.

"A ball? Really?"

"Yup."

"Let me guess: all pure-bloods and people of importance attend?"

He gave her a look that said '_duh'_. "Of course. Who else would we invite?"

"Hmm," she said in perfect imitation of his earlier response. Though his question was rhetorical, Hermione was far from done with her questions.

"And what else do you do?"

"Why, we sit by the fire-place with hot cocoa as we sing carols together till Christmas comes."

Hermione scowled . Of course he would throw what she had said in her face.

"Fine, be a git," she replied while turning away.

He smiled at her, but felt a bit guilty. He was only trying to tease her, because he really didn't want to tell her the truth. It was actually quite pathetic.

But as he saw her frowning, he decided he better give her a real answer. He cleared of his throat.

"If you really must know," he began to say, "Mother leaves for her yearly trip while father returns to his business. Christmas is only celebrated together at the ball."

Hermione looked up at him in bewilderment. "So you spend the rest of the holiday by yourself?"

"Not necessarily. I do chat with our house-elves as they serve me."

She snorted and he smiled slightly.

"And then, other times, I would have visitors come over," he added.

_Would?_ "Does that mean you don't get visitors anymore?"

His smile then turned hard. "Well, with everything that has happened in the last couple of years, I doubt anyone wants to come over."

Hermione cringed at that reply. Of course. How could she be so stupid and forget? Just last year, You-Know-Who had been with them and had made their home his headquarters. How terrifying that must have been, to have a mad-man control your every move. She still remembered how terrifying it felt to be at the manor when she had walked across their gates. How cold and chilling it all was.

She shuddered as she briefly relieved that memory and decided it was best to move on.

"You said you would have visitors... who?" she asked. "Was it your friends, Zabini and Nott?"

"Sometimes."

"Would they stay for long?"

"No, not always."

"Either way, that must have been a nice distraction."

"At times it was. But I usually preferred my night-time visitors. Those were my favourite."

"Night-time visitors?"

"Yes."

"What kind of visitors were they?"

When he leered and waggled his eyebrows she got confused, trying to figure out what he meant. Finally the penny dropped and her face grew hot.

"Oh," she said in a small voice.

Clearing her throat, she tried to change the subject again.

"Speaking of the upcoming winter holiday," she said, "I have a question."

When he didn't say anything, she continued. "I know I've already asked this before, but I have to know. Especially since break begins next week and I don't want to have any lose ends. As you well know, I like to have things orderly and managed. This extended vacation is a prime example of that. Furthermore, truth be told, I am tired of losing valuable sleep over it and I have to know. I want-"

"Merlin's tits, Granger, just spit it out!" he said in annoyance.

"What's going to happen with us?" she blurted out.

He stared at her. He had hoped that she wouldn't ask about 'them' but of course she had to bring it up. And on the same day that he was feeling less than engaging on the subject.

He sighed as he shifted his stare to the back of Loony Lovegood's head. He really didn't want to talk about it, much less end it. Not now, at least. And despite his earlier plan to avoid her, he found that he really couldn't. Well, more like he didn't want to.

_Just let it be, Granger._

"Oi, Malfoy? Did you hear me? Earth to Draco."

At the sound of his name, his eyes snapped back to her. He noticed that she was staring at him with a worried look.

_Oh right_, he thought, _she's waiting for an answer_.

With a passive look, he shrugged his shoulders and said in a bored drawl, "Nothing. Why should something happen?"

She gave him a dirty look at his reply. "You know very well that that's not what I meant. Are we seriously going to continue on like this?"

"Well, sure. Why not?"

Her dark look deepened. "Why not? This has been going on for a month. I think you're pretty safe from Parkinson now. There's no need to keep hiding."

His look slipped into a glare. "I am not hiding."

She lifted an eyebrow at this. "You do know there's a reason why I am called the 'Brightest Witch of the Age'?"

"Yeah yeah, no need to be smug," he said in an irritated tone.

"I am _not _being smug. I'm just saying that I am not stupid."

"Nobody claimed you were."

"Oh right, because your tone didn't imply it."

"What tone? What are you on about?" he asked in frustration.

"Your denial just now. I know for a fact that you are using me to avoid something big and I bet I know what it is."

His glare intensified. "You know nothing."

"Keep telling yourself that."

"I will. And you're one to talk. Aren't you using me?"

"What?"

"You heard me. Isn't the whole reason for this ordeal to cover your making of an unsanctioned Felix Felicis potion?"

"That's not what I'm doing!" she cried but a telling blush crept onto her cheeks.

"Oh no? Then how do you explain those supplies from Slughorn's private stash in your room, along with a book about Liquid Luck? That's right, I know that you've been frequenting his classroom more than once and don't you dare deny it."

She didn't reply but was fuming inside as well as feeling embarrassed at being caught. She had been so careful!

"Well?" he barked. "Answer me!"

"I've already told you before that that is none of your business," she said through gritted teeth.

He gave a humourless laugh. "Fine. Don't tell me. But don't expect me to be so forth-coming with _my _details. If you aren't willing to share yours, why should I? Do us both a favour and shut up about this. Things are fine as they are. Why should we change them?"

She glared at him for a few more seconds before lowering her eyes to the table.

"Why can't you just let me go?" she asked in a small voice of defeat.

At this, Draco became completely disarmed. Why indeed?

"Just…give it a few more days," he answered slowly.

"Why?"

"I have my reasons."

She lifted her eyes back to him, searching his face. What exactly could those be?

"Can't you tell me?" she asked. "What exactly are you trying to avoid?"

"If I tell you, will you share with me your reasons?"

They stared at each other for a bit, considering one another. When neither made the effort to speak, Draco sighed.

"Just…let it be. For now. Please," he said.

She looked at him for a few more seconds in wonderment. He'd never said please about anything before and part of her was pleasantly surprised. But then another part slumped her shoulders slightly in defeat. Because despite her mindfulness and stealth-like moves, he'd still figured out what she was up to.

She was partly to blame for it. After all, she had given him the password to her common room the other day. Who's to say that he didn't go snooping when she and Terry were out?

Either way, she should have known that he would put two and two together. He was too observant for his own good and it was only a matter of time before he fit all the pieces together. Not to mention that she was a terrible liar.

She closed her eyes, trying to disappear.

"It's my parents."

The words slipped out before she could stop them. When she opened her eyes, she found him looking at her in surprise.

Well, that was it then. Now that she'd moved a step, might as well jump a mile. So, without thinking any further, she took a deep breath and began to spill the whole story, starting from the day she performed the Memory Charm on her parents because of the war, how she hadn't had a chance to find them due to her duties and a brief explanation for making that potion specifically.

Once she was done, Draco stared back at her with a look of shock.

As he seemed to process what she had said, her mind began to reel from the fact that she had just shared everything- and to her childhood nemesis, no less! Well, that was wrong. He really wasn't a nemesis anymore. After everything they had been through these last couple of weeks, she wasn't even sure what they were anymore.

Nevertheless, she couldn't help but feel anxious. Now that he knew everything, what would he do with that information? She truly hoped that he didn't go off and share it with anyone else. Nobody knew and she hoped it continued that way. But what else could she offer to keep him quiet? He had already blackmailed her. So now what? Would he now use this to dish out revenge of some sort?

She really hoped not.

At the same time, however, she also felt inexplicable relief. Relief for finally being able to discuss what had been troubling her for so long. It felt as if a big load of weights had finally been lifted off her shoulders and now she was able to walk and think more clearly. It was refreshing and a bit relaxing. She was no longer alone in this.

Finally, Draco broke out of his shock.

"So just to summarize," he began, "you are planning to use the potion in hopes that it will guide you around Australia to find your parents."

"Well… that's the idea."

"Huh."

Before she could elaborate, he said, "Not to be pessimistic, but how do you even know that they are still there?"

At this, she smiled. "When I performed the Memory Charm, I made sure to instil in them that it was their life ambition to live there. So I doubt they would have moved away. Of course, I neglected to point out _where_ in Australia they should live, which brings us full circle."

"Yeah, that was a bad judgement call." He then frowned. "Why didn't you go to the Ministry? I'm sure they would have helped you find them a long time ago."

"Because they are my parents and therefore my sole responsibility. When I find them, I want them to hear the whole story - from me. They deserve to know what happened and not from a Ministry official. Moreover, I performed the charm illegally and I'm sure the Ministry would frown upon that and or persecute me."

He scoffed at that. "Granger, you are part of the Golden bloody Trio. I'm sure they would have looked the other way on that detail. Plus the spell was used to save their lives and not used for your own personal gain."

"Doesn't matter, it's still wrong."

"So you say."

"Anyway," she cut in. "Now you know why."

"Right. But…if you didn't go to the Ministry, why didn't you tell mama and papa Weasley? Or Potter?"

"I already told you: this is my problem. And they already had so many things going on themselves. I didn't want to burden them. Furthermore, I know that I can do this and I will succeed - by myself."

"Bloody Gryffindor, through and through," he muttered to himself as he fidgeted with his empty mug again. Despite not wanting to care, he had many more questions.

"So when are you planning to start your search?"

She hesitated for a bit. "Well...my plan is to go the first week of winter break. I figure it will take about a week at most and my goal is to find them before Christmas."

"Granger, that's dangerous. You know well enough that using too much Liquid Luck isn't wise."

"I know. Which is why I'm spacing out its use. I'm only going to drink it every other day during that week."

"Hmm. And what about costs?"

"What do you mean?"

"Surely you don't mean to travel all over Australia without so much as a knut on your person, do you?"

She laughed. "Malfoy, I'm parent-less, not galleon-less. Of course I have money. I've been saving what I have for a while now."

"Then what-"

"Draco, it's OK. Really. I know what I'm doing. This is not something that I've thought on a whim. Trust me. But thank you for worrying. That's sweet of you."

He huffed. That was the second time she used his name.

"I'm not worried," he said in slight scorn. "Nor do I care. I just want you to realize that this is not as simple a task as you're making it sound. And I'm sure McGonagall wouldn't be too happy to see that her Head Girl has gone rogue if you don't come back. She might even end up blaming me."

"Oh, I sincerely doubt that. And I will be back. Wild horses couldn't stop me," she replied with a grin. "Anyway, all the same - thanks. Though Malfoy…" she started.

"What?" he asked. Before he could say anything else, he stiffened when she grabbed one of his hands.

"I…Please promise me that this will stay here between us. Everything I've said."

"Who do you think I'm going to tell?" he asked in an affronted tone.

"I don't know. Your friends, the professors, anyone. Just…please don't share this. Swear to me."

He looked at her with a contemplative look as she pleaded with her eyes. Truth be told, he wasn't too comfortable with the idea of her travelling all over a foreign country, searching by herself. He didn't know how or why, but he couldn't help but genuinely care-a little. Was that so wrong?

He released a deep breath. "Well, I've already blackmailed you to keep your supply-stealing a secret. What's another added detail?"

She sighed in relief and released his hand. "Thank you."

He grunted and continued to play with his mug as Hermione decided to take another sip from hers.

Once she finished, he asks, "Am I really that terrible company?"

At his question, her eyes bugged out slightly. That turn in the conversation was unexpected.

"What do you mean?" she asked. Surely, she had misheard.

"You know, terrible. As in atrocious, dreadful, loathsome, odious."

She stared at him, unsure how to answer.

"No, not exactly," she started. "I mean, you can be an unbearable git from time to time. But it's nothing I can't handle."

"Then why are you so adamant to get rid of me?"

"Where did you get that idea?"

"You keep asking when I'm ending this."

"Oh. But it's not because I'm trying to get rid of you. I'm _not._ I just... I like having closure."

"Closure?"

"Yes. I don't like to leave things unfinished."

"I'm not a Transfiguration problem, you know."

"I know. I didn't mean it like that."

"Then...what did you mean?"

"Nothing. Honestly," she answered.

He stared at her for a few seconds, before deciding to throw caution out the window. Fuck it all. She brought them this far, they might as well set them on equal footing.

Well, almost equal footing. He wasn't about to share what his father had written that morning or what he was expected to do. _Not yet._

"You're right," he said.

"Huh? About what?"

"Your suspicions. Pansy wants me to marry her. But not how you probably think. She went behind my back."

"She..._what_?"

"Apparently, she had asked her father to talk to mine and they drafted a contract together. All without my knowledge or consent. So when I discovered it, she expected me to pop the question as if it were a normal thing."

"But…we are still in Hogwarts, for Merlin's sake. Isn't that a bit too soon?"

"No, not really. It isn't uncommon for pure-bloods to get engaged at such a young age."

"That's sounds so…so...archaic."

"Maybe. But that's how things run in the higher circles."

"Oh. Then…if that's the case, why are you with me?"

"Because I don't want any part of it."

"But you just said its commo-"

"I know what I said. I meant that I don't want any part of it with _her_."

"So you thought that dating me would help stop things?"

"Obviously. Have you seen her pestering me recently?"

"Why didn't you just stop the contract?"

"Who says I didn't? And you know how Pansy is."

"True…But what about your parents? Aren't they upset that you're dating a Muggle-born?"

"No. They aren't." _Liar._

"Huh. So is this the reason why you are stretching this out?"

"Yes…maybe."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I'm done explaining myself and we are still going to be together. End of explanation."

"But-"

"Granger, I've already told you more than I wanted to share, just so you could know some of the particulars. It was only fair for me to do so after you shared your story. Can't you let it go?"

"I just-"

"Besides," he cut in again. "You just said my company isn't terrible so why are you complaining? I've been pretty decent to you these last couple of weeks. What's a few more days?"

She sighed. "I guess…"

"Then, there you go. It's settled."

"Fine."

"Alright. Are you ready to go?" he asked as he laid some sickles on the table.

"Actually, I have to head over to Scrivenshafts for some parchment and quills. And then I have other things I need to buy."

"Oh."

"But thank you for the Butterbeer. This was definitely interesting."

He smirked. "No kidding."

They walked out of the pub together and before she could say anything else, he turned and gave her a quick kiss on her temple before starting to walk back to Hogwarts. That surprised her. She had thought that he would follow her around during her errands but apparently not. She smiled at that.

"See you at lunch," he called over his shoulder as he shoved his hands into his pockets and walked away.

* * *

Once she saw his form disappear from sight, Hermione walked as quickly as she could to a shop a few blocks down. Instead of heading to the quill shop she had mentioned, she decided to go to another one first. And boy was she glad she did. Because within the first five minutes of walking in, she found the pieces of dragon liver she needed. Now all she had to do was add it to the potion and watch it become clear.

_Thank Merlin_, she thought as she walked out of the store, patting her pocket. She had been afraid that she wouldn't be able to find it on time. And though she had spent a few more galleons than planned, it was better than not having it at all.

She had been anxious when she couldn't find some in Professor Slughorn's cupboard. Her only conclusion for it missing was that it was probably used for a lesson plan earlier that day. He must have finished it off, probably thinking about buying more that weekend. Though now, he may have to wait again. She'd just bought the last of it from the store and they weren't restocking until after Christmas.

As she began her walk towards Scrivenshafts, she recalled her 'date'. She was still surprised by the turn of events. When they had settled down, the last thing she expected was for them to confess each other the reasons for their attachment. That was not what she had been expecting when Draco first suggested the outing. Yet, she was glad it happened. It made her feel comfortable about it. Well, slightly comfortable.

Although, now that they had, she wasn't quite sure how she should proceed. Yes, he had requested that they stay together a bit longer. But how were they going to interact now? Were they going to act the same as always? Or was it going to be different?

Actually, now that she thought about a bit more, why was Draco being adamant in keeping the charade going? What was the point of it now? From what he'd related, he had already pulled a full stop on his 'pending' engagement. If his family had somewhat accepted his current relationship, then surely he was free to do what he wanted. Or pursue someone else. In fact, he made it sound as if his father couldn't force him to do what was being asked. Or could he?

Hmmm…was there something else Malfoy had neglected to tell her? She hoped not.

And then there was that weird question he'd asked:_ "Am I really that terrible?"_

He wasn't, of course. Though he was a prat and sometimes self-centered git, he wasn't terrible. In fact, she was growing used to his behavior. But as the days passed by, things were getting a bit convoluted, twisted and distorted.

Confusing, if she had to choose a word, but not in a bad way. Like the other day, as they walked back to her dorm from the library. She realized that she was a bit attracted to the git, despite her denial. Merlin help her, but she was. This was one of the reasons why she wanted to end it. The lines between them were getting blurred and that made her feel antsy. She didn't want to make a fool of herself.

She chews on her bottom lip in frustration.

Now was not the time to think about this. Their date was over and she had other important things to think about.

As she made her way towards Scrivenshafts' door, she felt someone behind her and froze.

Had Malfoy decided to come back? Was there something else he wanted?

Slowly, she turned around and gasped. It was definitely the last person she expected to see.

"Hi Hermione," he said as he looked at her with a sad smile on his face.

"_Harry?"_

* * *

**A/N: And we are getting close to our ending *sobs quietly* Two more chapters to go! Ahh!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: **Gah! I am soo sorry for the delay in posting the new chapter. For some reason, my laptop has been giving me a hard time logging on today and then uploading it, UGH! But here it is. The next installment! Enjoy. :)

And thanks again for all the reviews and follows! My goal is to answer them all tomorrow. They will get answered! :D

**Disclaimer: **J.K. Rowling owns it all. I only somewhat own this plot.

* * *

**C****hapter 7:**

A small smile tugged at the corner of Hermione's lips as she made her way back to Hogwarts.

That afternoon's activities had been very interesting indeed. From the awkward start of the date to her shopping for supplies to running into Harry, she couldn't help but be in a good mood as she walked back to school.

Despite her initial unease, seeing Harry at Hogsmeade had lifted her spirits somewhat. He was her best friend first and foremost and she had missed him dearly. She hoped that he had missed her just as much and over-look their current quarrel.

But all her worries had all been for naught. Because as soon as he spotted her, the first thing out of his mouth was, "I'm so sorry for being an arse. Forgive me?"

She couldn't help but throw her arms around him and squeeze hard.

"Apology accepted."

After his apology, they made their way to a bench and shared stories of what they had been up to: Harry relating how difficult but rewarding training to be an Auror had been while Hermione shared what it was like to be Head Girl. And then, of course, he went ahead and questioned her about her relationship with Malfoy. At first, Hermione wasn't sure how she should explain. But she found that she didn't have to lie outright. Without getting too into details, she explained how dating him had been a new but complacent experience.

Throughout their whole exchange, neither of them brought up the Weasleys. The only mention was when Harry meekly asked if she was still planning to head to the Burrow after Christmas Day.

"I don't know, Harry. Now that things are a bit disagreeable, I honestly don't know if I am even welcomed."

"Of course you are. You know Molly will want to see you."

"I know. But I don't think it's worth struggling through a dinner with Ginny and Ron."

"Understandable. But don't worry, they will come around eventually," he reassured. "It's just…a hard thing to process. Even I don't fully comprehend your reasons."

"He's not that bad."

"I highly doubt that."

"He isn't."

"Hermione, no offense, but after the past six years of him teasing you and putting you down doesn't necessarily warm me up to him. I can't imagine he's any different."

"But he is. He's...changed."

That earned her a sceptical look and she sighed. Of course he didn't believe that. So she tried another tactic.

"Harry, you know that I wouldn't be with someone who's a full-out git to me. I can't explain it, but he's…not the same. Well, compared to when you were here. It's different."

He smiled while shaking his head. "Whatever you say, 'Mione. Anyway, in regards to the Weasleys, just…think about it before signing them off, OK?"

She gave him a small smile. "I'll try," she replied.

"I'm serious. Really think about it. You know you're considered part of the family."

"I know."

Suddenly, his wristwatch beeped and a pout formed on his lips. "Bollocks, my break's over."

He turned back to her. "I'm glad I caught up with you here. I wasn't even sure if I would be able to."

"It was actually a spontaneous decision. Which reminds me, how did you even know I was here?"

"Oh, well...I um, sort of followed you and Malfoy into Hogsmeade which, by the way, looked like an uncomfortable walk."

"Harry!"

"Well, that was the only way I've been able to spot you before." He cracked a cheeky grin before pulling her into a bear hug.

When they pulled back, he said, "Promise me that he's actually been good to you."

She gave him a lopsided grin. "Harry, don't worry. Truth is, despite what you may or may not have seen, he really can be decent when he tries and has been nothing but considerate." Well, at least he had been recently.

"Well, good. Because if he wasn't I would have to storm into Hogwarts and break his legs."

She laughed and he gave her another grin. When she settled down, his face slipped into a somber look.

"Merlin, I've missed you, Hermione," he confessed. "I really am sorry for my behaviour."

"There's nothing to forgive."

"Please really think about what I said. Christmas at the Weasleys won't be the same without you."

"I will. I promise."

With a nod of his head, he made his way to the Apparition point. When he turned back to face her, she waved goodbye and the familiar cracking sound filled the air.

She stood there for a few more seconds and couldn't help the big grin that graced her face.

It felt good to know that at least one of her best friends was back on her side.

Maybe Christmas at the Weasleys wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

Over the next three days, Hermione was reaching a boiling point in her frustration.

Though Draco came to pick her up at her dorm every morning and followed her to the library for their nightly study sessions, it wasn't the same. He had been acting distant and subdued around her - much to her annoyance.

He wasn't sending her sarcastic or irritating comments, nor was he going out of his way to touch her for the sake of appearances. He wasn't even teasing her for sport as he usually would, something that had initially shocked her.

If there was a new favourite past-time of Draco's that Hermione could count on, it was his teasing.

That was not to say that she was complaining about the lack of it. It just felt, dare she say it, unnatural.

Why was he being so weird?

After their outing that weekend, he now just sat there with a distant look in his eyes. Sometimes, she would forget he was there until she would hear him shuffle. When she tried to ask what was wrong, he would snap out of it and then attempt to side-step her further by discussing their upcoming exams.

At first, it had made her anxious. Was he acting that way because he regretted telling her things last weekend? Was he afraid that she would say something? Or was he privately planning to do something about what_ she_ had shared in regards to her parents? Oh god, was he going to tell the Headmistress after all?

She hoped it wasn't anything of that nature. Besides, he had promised to keep everything quiet.

Then again, this _was_ Malfoy.

She took a deep breath. No use getting all worked up when it could really be nothing at all. Maybe he was stressing over his final exams. That would definitely explain his studious nature at the moment. After all, he was having trouble with Transfiguration.

Nevertheless, she also couldn't help feeling a bit dejected and that added on to her irritation. Why did she care if he was no longer showering her with attention as before? This was what she wanted to begin with, wasn't it? To be left alone?

No, not really.

Despite herself, she actually missed the prat's interaction.

Initially, she wasn't sure why she was feeling those impulses. She'd always resented his overbearing, confident, smirking and swaggering behaviour. If anything, she should have felt blessed relief that she hadn't had to deal with any of that for the last couple of days - but no. It all felt like punishment of some sort and she couldn't figure out why.

So last night, as she got ready for bed, she really gave herself the time to think things through. The summoning conclusion didn't hit her until she was brushing her teeth and she dropped her toothbrush into the sink in horror. Because what Hermione realized was that she genuinely did like him. How and when that had happened, she didn't know.

But she suspected she'd begun walking down that road when he began to act somewhat gentleman-like the during last couple of weeks. When he would inquire how she was, she would answer honestly. When he sent her one of his rare smiles, it made _her_ smile. When he held her hand, he made her felt safe and secure. When he would kiss her, she couldn't help but feel butterflies. And that didn't count the times when he would instigate a proper snog. During those times, she felt nothing but desire. So what was wrong? Technically, they 'liked' each other and they were 'within their rights'.

But she also knew that all their interaction was all for show. Well, except a few times when Draco went out of his way to be nice when they were alone. Regardless, she didn't think that it was possible for him to really like her. Not like that, at least. He'd even admitted it himself: they were together in order for him to avoid an even bigger obligation that awaited him.

That thought made her a bit sad. Who wouldn't want to be liked by someone like him? She wasn't blind. The git was attractive. And after experiencing his attentions first hand, she couldn't help but recall the rumours she had heard in her dorm last year. Parvati and Lavender would often discuss gossip they heard about Draco; how he knew how to treat a girl, how wicked his tongue could be and how his hands knew where to touch and stroke. So far she knew the first two rumours to be correct. But what of the other one, about his touches? Was that bit true as well? And then there was the other thing Parvati had shared that had made her blush to the roots of her hair: the one about a specific manoeuvre he apparently liked to pull in bed. How exactly would that have felt?

She shivered. It did no good to let her mind flow into those kinds of thoughts. What was the point? It wasn't like those things would ever happen between them. And furthermore, did she even want them to?

_Of course not,_ she said to herself. _Stop being silly_.

She sighed before looking over at him. They were in the library at their usual table and he was currently going over one of his textbooks. When they walked in, he had picked up that book and had kept it in his face ever since. She knew that it was a ploy, to stop her from talking to him. So far, it had been successful but she was getting tired of it.

In that uncomfortable silence, she was currently fighting the urge to grab one of his hands just so she could feel it in hers. She even considered trying to bait him so she could hear him talk. And then maybe, when he walked her back to her dorm, she played with the idea of kissing him. Not necessarily on the lips but a chaste one on his cheek. He'd done that plenty of times himself already. Would it be so out of place if she reached out and did it now?

She honestly didn't think so.

But how could she be sure? Maybe she _should _try something. Hmm...

* * *

Draco shifted in his chair again. That was the third time he had done that in the span of fifteen minutes and it did nothing to relive his discomfort. Despite his efforts to ignore Granger, he could still feel her penetrating gaze as he reread a line in his text for Salazar knows how many times.

Why was she staring at him like that? What did she want? Couldn't she see that it bothered him? He wished that she would quit. He usually wasn't one to feel unsettled, but this wasn't helping him at all in his endeavours at being nonchalant.

But he knew why she was staring and he didn't blame her. He hadn't been acting like himself the last couple of days so of course the girl would notice the difference.

After he'd returned to Hogwarts that fateful Saturday afternoon, Draco had sat by the Black Lake for hours, thinking about everything they'd discussed.

What Hermione shared had been unexpected but he wasn't surprised. He knew that she wouldn't have stolen supplies from their professor without a good reason. And Merlin, did she have one. That actually infuriated him a bit. Why couldn't she be like a normal girl and have single-minded plans? Why did she have to be such a fucking bleeding heart? Now his future plans felt tainted. He couldn't interact with her the same as before and he couldn't obligate her when he knew that it was for his selfish ends.

Thinking about that last thought made him angrier. Why had she decided that it was a good idea to discuss those things? She ruined everything. As if he didn't have enough chaos going on in his head at the moment.

When the sun almost disappeared that afternoon, he reached a few decisions. First, he was going to respond to his father. He didn't care if he got disowned at that point but he refused to be tied down to Pansy. If Lucius didn't like it, then so be it. He wasn't going to bend to his whims any longer.

As for his feelings towards Granger, he decided that it would be best if he stayed away because of those stupid, nagging, good-for-nothing conscious feelings that were getting in his way. Fucking damn it all but he did care for that bird, more than he should. It really wouldn't be fair of him to keep 'abusing' her and her goodwill the way he had these last couple of weeks. And so, though it would be hard work, he decided that from that point forward, he would keep his hands, arms and lips to himself. In his mind, he thought he was doing the proper thing. Why keep being an unnecessary git when he knew she was going through a hard time? And didn't she see that he was acting this way_ for_ her?

Though now, however, he realized that his transition should have been made smoother. Because, as he looked over at the top of his book, her pensive gaze had yet to waver from his person. He knew it was only a matter of time before she began to ask questions again.

With a small groan of irritation, he slapped his book down fast causing Granger gasp aloud and jump in surprise.

_Good._

"Granger-"

"What?"

"Will you stop with your _bloody _staring?"

"I'm not staring."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes. You. Are."

"No. I'm. Not."

"Then I must have something very fascinating on my face since you keep boring holes into my forehead."

He noticed a blush creep up her cheeks as she tried to frown at him.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you," she retorted as she crossed her arms. "But I was actually looking at the bookcase behind you."

He gave her an incredulous look. _Is she fucking kidding me?_

"I was. I was debating if I should grab that book on Pygmy Puffs for a report I'm going to write." _Pygmy Puffs? Smooth, Hermione._

He stared at her then, contemplating what she just said, but didn't reply. Instead, he got up, slid his things over and sat on the chair next to him so he was now diagonally across from her.

"There. Now you should have a better view of the bookcase." And he picked up his book.

* * *

Hermione stared at him with a flabbergasted expression for a few seconds, trying to decide what to do next. His action had been a complete surprise. She had been lost in thought and hadn't realized that she'd been staring. But now, as she recalled where her thoughts had been before he decided to startle her, she blushed again.

Of all the times to be caught, it had to be when her mind had been in the gutter. With a sniff, she decided it would be wise to be quiet for the rest of the evening. Without another glance in his direction, she returned to the book in her hands. But on the inside, she felt like she was going to die of embarrassment.

The next hour passed without anything being exchanged between them except a clearing of a throat and a shuffling sound in a chair. If an outsider was to observe them, it would have appeared that they were studying diligently. But in reality, the atmosphere around them was so tense it bordered on ridiculous. Hermione was starting to feel like she was a shuffle away from going insane.

When the clock inched closer to closing time, Hermione decided she'd enough of the awkwardness and shut her book as she stood up.

"Where are you going?" he asked suddenly.

She looked at him while stuffing her things in her book bag, trying to look casual.

"It's time to go."

"What? No, it's not. We still have twenty minutes left."

"Let me rephrase: I'm going to go. You feel free to stay. I'm done studying here."

She spun on her heel and began a brisk walk towards the exit. Through her walk, she didn't dare look back but she could hear him putting his things away quickly. She ignored him.

As soon she cleared the doors, Draco was there next to her, sending her a glare.

"You don't have to follow me," she snapped.

"Who says I am?"

She rolled her eyes. "Of course. How silly of me to think that it's suspicious that you are heading in the same direction as I."

He sent her another glare, but she ignored it. Instead, she lifted her head high, focusing soley ahead.

They continued walking down the hall, neither making an effort to say anything until they made a turn into another hallway.

"You know, I still had another chapter to read," he quipped.

"I told you that you could stay."

"How gracious of you. But I don't need your _permission_, Granger."

"I wasn't...never mind," she sputtered in frustration and quickened her steps.

_Please let me reach the dorm room already! _she thought in irritation.

Finally, they come up to her portrait hole but she didn't go in right away. They stood there, her looking anywhere else but him but she could feel him staring at her. When she looked up, his gaze shifted and a look of indifference appeared on his face.

With a huff, she fumbled with her book bag strap that was hanging from one of her shoulders while she directed her eyes at her shoes.

"Well, good night," she finally said. And before she could think twice about it, she lifted her head and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

When she pulled back, she froze as she saw his eyes had widened the size of saucers. She began to turn beet red.

_Oh, bugger!_ she thought in panic. _What have I done? Maybe I shouldn't have done anything! Oh god oh god oh god!_

Before she could turn around towards the door, Draco grabbed her arm to stop her. She looked back up and gasped. His eyes had turned the colour of dark steel, peering into her with intensity.

Quickly, before she could move away, he dropped his bag and grabbed the back of her neck, merging their lips again. She was completely shocked. And while she tried to process what was happening, Draco used that moment to swipe his tongue across her teeth, causing a sharp inhale through her nose. And yet, she didn't pull away.

When she still didn't respond, his mouth began to move a bit more insistently. He bit her bottom lip gently, causing her to jump and gasp again. This also caused her to grab a hold of the front of his robes as his tongue coupled with hers slowly. Little by little, her tenseness dissipated and she leaned into him for support. She released a soft moan to which Draco groaned in approval and deepened the kiss. It was like he felt no need to hurry his actions.

Distantly, both heard her book bag drop and she wound her arms around his neck. While she did that, he slipped his hands down to her hips and pulled her closer. It still wasn't enough, however. Once he has their pelvises touching, his hands trekked up to her back and stayed there, locking in place. Their kissing went on for a few more moments longer before they broke it to breathe. Both were panting but didn't move away. They looked at each other through hooded eyes. Taking it as a good sign, Draco dipped his head down and trailed his lips down her throat, giving it soft kisses. This caused her to pull him closer and her hands got lost in his baby-soft hair.

_Oh boy_, Hermione thought, as a shot of thrill ran down her spine.

She'd miss him touching her - so much. These three days of no contact had been brutal. And now that they were like this, she wanted to feel him as much as she could. She held his head more firmly, hoping that he took it as a sign not to stop.

Meanwhile, Draco was having his own personal crisis. He knew that he should put an end to it all but he didn't want to. Not yet.

_This is heaven_, he argued with himself. _Let me stay here a little longer._

Without even realizing it, he had walked her back into the door.

"Oi! You're squashing my roses!" the portrait complained.

But neither of them let go. Instead, he shifted her over a bit so she was now against the wall as her hands lifted his head back to hers and met his lips softly, though quickly it evolved into something more passionate. He grabbed her waist and lifted her against the wall as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He nearly lost his mind then, wanting to throw caution to the wind just so they could keep the contact going. But alas, his conscience decided to make an appearance once again.

_We're in a public area for Merlin's sake! You need to stop this!_

Nevertheless, as he continued kissing her, he couldn't think of another reason to put an end to it. Besides, he reasoned, he was tired of wandering this desert of loneliness and pent-up frustration, dying of thirst. Now that he'd found his oasis, he wanted to quench that thirst as much as he could.

With that in mind, he plundered her mouth more savagely, causing Hermione to freeze in surprise for a few moments. But she recovered quickly and her legs tightened around him. Both were now panting loudly but still they didn't make an effort to stop.

Finally, just as he felt he was going to pass out, he broke away but began to kiss his way from her cheek towards her ear and back down her neck. Without thinking twice, he sucked on her pulse heartily as he ground his hips against hers. This caused her to gasp loudly in shock at the contact.

At that sound, Draco froze. _Fuck_! What in Merlin's name was he _doing_?!

He released a harsh breath as he shook his head slightly, trying to clear away the haze.

"Granger," he said in a breathless tone.

"Don't," she said in a pant as she tried to move his head back to her neck to prompt him back to his ministrations. But he resisted, pulling back gently.

"Granger, we have to stop," he said.

"No." She connected her lips to his.

He gave in for a few seconds, feeling her tongue battle his aggressively, just as he had a few minutes prior. But he pulled back again once he felt her run her hands over his bum.

"Hermione, please," he begged, causing her to look up in surprise. That was the first time he had ever called her by her first name.

"Why?" she finally responded while giving him a searching look.

"Because this isn't right."

"Says who?"

"Please don't make me the bad guy in this."

"Well, maybe I don't want you to stop." She squeezed her legs around him.

He released a mirthless laugh then which sounded more like a frustrated cry. "You're making this difficult."

"I just don't understand why we should stop this," she replied with a pout. Then a thought occurred to her. She quickly released her legs from around his waist, planting her feet back on the ground.

"Don't you want me?" she asked in a perplexed tone.

He stared at her as if she were crazy. "What?"

"You heard me."

When he didn't answer, she pushed him away from her and she looked towards the hallway.

"It's my blood, isn't it?" she asked quietly.

"You're bl…are you kidding me? If blood was an issue, I wouldn't have even dated you!"

"Then what is it? Are you...not attracted to me in that way?" she asked while looking dejected. "Is that why you've been distancing yourself from me these last couple of days?"

He released a frustrated sigh as he ran his hands through his hair, looking up at the ceiling.

"Granger, I can tell you right now that attraction is not the problem. If you want proof, look at my trousers."

Slowly, she looked down at them. Sure enough, there was tenting at the front. This caused her to blush like a tomato before looking away again.

"OK, fine, that's not the issue. But I still don't understand why you've been pulling away from me."

"Damn it, Granger. Do you really want me to shag you against the wall just now?"

She looked back at him with a blush again. "Of course not!"

"Then let's stop while we're ahead."

"You know very well that I wasn't referring to just now. Why are you pulling away from me?" she repeated.

He looked at her with a lost look but didn't reply. What could he say? That he was having a moral crisis and she was making it difficult for him to be honourable? That he cared too much about her to use her like a common slag? That he really wanted more than a feigned relationship?

No, none of those explanations would do.

"Can't you just let it go?" he asked instead with a bit of an edge.

At his tone, Hermione's glare dropped as her heart sank. Of course he had to be an arse and keep her guessing, just for the sake of torturing her.

Without another word, she bent down to pick up her bag while turning towards the portrait.

"Right. Well, good night," she called over her shoulder.

Before Draco could blink, she muttered her password quickly and ran inside.

When he did blink, the door slammed loudly and she was officially gone.

* * *

Draco stared at the door for a few more seconds, trying to digest everything that just happened.

Why couldn't he just tell her what was going on with him? Would it be really that terrible to be honest? And, oh dear Merlin, had Granger really snogged him to oblivion? And in a hallway where anyone could have seen?

He shook his head.

He couldn't figure out for the life of him what had prompted Hermione to start that. What was she trying to do to him? Kill him slowly?! Sure, things had been a bit weird thanks to a few days of no contact, but come on!

With a last look at her door, he growled out loud and briskly began his walk towards his dorm. And as he began to ascend a set of stairs, his frustration grew exponentially.

He was so tired of fighting off his mounting attraction. In fact, these last couple of days had been painful physically. Sometimes he would ask himself why he was restraining himself from her. They were in a relationship, damn it!

And then, every time when that thought crossed his mind, the story about her parents would resurface, much to his displeasure.

_Damn it, Granger! You've ruined me, _he thought in frustration.

Especially now that he had felt her against him so enthusiastic just a few minutes ago.

Just recalling how she acted under his hands and lips was enough to make him lose his mind again.

He had wanted to laugh at Hermione's uncertainty in her ability to attract him. Was she really that blind? God, if they had continued the way they were, he had no doubt in his mind that he would have proven her uncertainties were unnecessary. In fact, he had many different ways in mind in how he could have prove her wrong.

At that train of thought, he quickened his steps while his trousers tightened again and he groaned.

He needed to take a cold shower,_ quickly_.

The rest of his thoughts he could analyze later, once he was sated.

* * *

**A/N: Review please! :) ONE MORE CHAPTER TO GO!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: **And with this chapter, we reach the end of this story! Aww! It's been a blast sharing this with you and thanks for all the enthusiasm! Glad to hear that this was enjoyable for you all. :) As for my other stories, I WILL be updating them. Starting Anew will be first and then Unexpected Attraction. My goal is to wrap SA within the next three months and then take over UA. Just please be patient with me. I *may* be a little slow with updates on those stories. Mostly due to time and work. But I will finish them!

Anyway, here's the last chapter. At the end of this, if you posted an Anon message, I will be answering it since I will not be able to answer back via PM.

Enjoy! :D

**Disclaimer: **J.K. Rowling owns it all. I only somewhat own this plot.

* * *

**Chapter 8: **

The snow was falling softly against the window as Hermione sat there, leaning her head against it. She had a decent view of the boathouse at the bottom of the hill along with the endless river and mountains. During the autumn season, it all looked spectacular. But now that it was snowing, all she was able to see was a blanket of white. She didn't mind, though. To her, it was still a beautiful sight and reinforced the arrival of the winter holiday season.

Over the last four days, Hermione had gotten to know her shared living space very well. She finally decided earlier that day that it was one of the major perks for being a Head student. The common room was spacious, with a comfortable sofa and recliners by the fireplace. Their worktables were pretty decently proportioned and placed by their personal book cases respectively. On the other side of the room by the entrance, was a small kitchen area where they could make tea and request snacks from the house elves, though she hardly used - until recently. She mostly avoided it because she didn't like to use the school house-elves for her own personal use. That reason had amused Terry to no end, causing him to shake his head with a grin whenever he saw her ignore the area. But now that she'd had to swallow her pride and indignation, she was a frequent visitor. Oh, how things have changed.

The other nice thing about the room was the way their house colours were wonderfully blended, without being ostentatious. They also didn't clash, despite the colours being burgundy and navy blue, they rather accentuated and combined quite nicely. Ravenclaw and Gryffindor were equally represented in the common room.

As for their bedrooms, they were also very generous and spacious. Each was equipped with its own full-sized bed and decorated in their house colour respectively. It also had a small desk next to their closet cabinet and had its own private bathroom. Humorously enough, this addition had made Hermione squeal in glee that first day. Though she wouldn't have minded sharing one with the Head Boy, it was rather nice to have a bit of privacy. And not have to worry about taking too long in the shower.

Though all of these things were quite lovely, her upmost favourite part of the whole room was the two long-paned windows that were on the right side of the fireplace. Since they had an area to sit, she would often sit there to enjoy the view as she read, drank her tea or just got lost in her thoughts.

Coincidently, this was where she could be spotted during the last four days. Instead of heading out towards her favourite haunts after classes, she had been coming back to sit in that spot. The reason was simple: it was in order to avoid running into a certain somebody that happened to be in the majority of her classes. But she didn't really have to worry about that, however. That person had been making an equal effort to avoid her as well.

Just remembering how awkward things were had her closing her eyes as she released a breath softly, causing the window to fog up.

"Hermione."

At the sound of her name, she opened her eyes slowly and saw her dorm mate, Head Boy Terry, standing in front of her. He was shifting from one foot to the other with an uncertain look on his face.

"Yes, Terry?" she asked.

"Are you sure you want to stay here instead of going to the festivities?" As per tradition, there was a Christmas mini fair in the Great Hall instead of their regular lunch period.

"Yes, I'm sure. You go on."

"But...what if McGonagall asks why you're missing?"

"Oh, don't worry about that. I already told her that I had a mild cough and that I wasn't coming."

His eyes widened. "Hermione Granger, did you lie to the Headmistress?"

She smirked. "So what if I did?"

"Nothing, I'm just...Wow. I'm impressed."

She shoved him playfully but to her disappointment, he hardly wavered. Instead, he chuckled at her effort and she rolled her eyes.

"OK, enough laughing at my expense. Go."

He gave a grin as headed towards the door. But before he walked out, he looked back at her again with a wary look.

"And what about if..._someone _asks me about you?"

She snorted. "He hasn't been looking for me these last couple of days, so I highly doubt he'll ask you anything."

"Well, you never know. Especially since this is the last day we'll all spend together before we part ways for the holiday break tomorrow."

"Like I said, he won't ask you. And if he does, tell him the same story. Tell him I'm sick."

He sighed. "OK, will do."

Once more, he made his way towards the door and walked out. But before he closed it, he poked his head back in.

"You sure you don't want me to bring you back anything?" he asked.

"I'm very sure. Now go! Have fun for the both of us!" She gave him a wide smile that hurt her face.

Taking that as a good sign, he gave her a lazy salute and shut the door firmly.

Once he was gone, she dropped her smile and sighed softly.

Terry was such a good person and she couldn't help thinking again just how lucky she was to have him as a partner. He was smart, trustworthy, kind and hard working. Not to mention, open-minded. When he had seen her coming back to their room too frequently, he asked what was wrong. Since she had had things building up inside her for a few days, she made a decision and told him what had happened. When she was done, she expected him to be horrified. But instead, he just nodded his head and offered her words of comfort. From then on, he would accompany her occasionally while she was in the room, just so she wouldn't be alone.

Hermione was rather grateful by that turn of events. It was nice to have someone understanding on her side that wasn't being judgemental. Though now that she thought about it, he was just a gracious person overall. When he had initially learned about Malfoy, he had taken the news with a lift of his eyebrows. Not once did he get upset or criticize her about it but rather, much to her bewilderment, he revealed that he wasn't shocked by the development.

"_I'm just surprised it didn't happen sooner,"_ was all he'd said before heading to his room.

That reply had baffled her. If this was the way that Terry responded, were there others that thought the same way?

She shook her head. That thought was neither here nor there. Despite what he or others may believe, the whole thing was a lie.

Or...it wasn't. After what had happened a few days ago, she didn't think she could say it was any longer. Not on her end anyway.

As she thought back to the last couple of weeks, she couldn't help but be surprised at how their relationship had evolved. From maintaining their mutual dislike to becoming civil and then to evolving to what happened just a few days ago. She was in awe of it all. And it also made her shiver just remembering that night's event.

Speaking of 'the event' (as she and Terry had dubbed it), her nights had been unbearable. Without fail, as soon as she shut her eyes, she saw herself snogging Draco within an inch of her life with vivid clarity. It made her eyes snap open, causing her to flush pink as never ending questions ran through her head in a loop: What had she'd done? Had she really suggested that they should have done more? Would she have had sex with him if he hadn't stopped them? Did he pick up just how much of an effect he had on her? Did he think that she was like those other girls, only looking for physical release?

She had begun to hate closing her eyes but she hated that she was missing out on sleep even more. It was a vicious cycle; one that was starting to take its toll if one watched her closely.

Just thinking about 'the event' again made one of her hands touch her neck to stroke the bruise that was there. Though she could have healed it long ago, she had decided not to. Instead, she'd placed a glamour charm on it while she was out in public in order to avoid questions and gossip. In a way, she left it there as a reminder of what she'd been close to doing. And what she probably wouldn't experience with him ever again.

There was no use denying it. The whole dynamic in their relationship was different from the beginning. Well, to her at least. Ever since she realized that she really did care for him, she couldn't help but wish that what they had was real. But she knew that that was an impossible wish. For one, Draco had told her more than once that she was just a temporary cover. Two, their relationship was to end in a few more weeks. And three, despite his enthusiasm a few days ago, she knew that he didn't care for her as much as she did for him.

It was because of all those reasons that she had chosen to hide herself. She knew it was childish and very un-Gryffindor behaviour, but she couldn't help it. She knew that eventually she had to face their awkwardness head on, but she honestly had no idea how to go about it. She also didn't want to go about fixing things yet because she knew that she would be the one that ended getting up hurt once it all blew up in her face. That was one of the major reasons she decided to leave things as they were. And so, here she was, skipping out on her favourite event of the winter holiday, just for the sake of avoiding a run-in with Draco Malfoy.

The bad part about this, however, was that it gave her too much time alone with her thoughts. It caused her to think about things in much more detail. For example: his reasons for avoiding her. After running every possibility in her head for the last couple of days, she came up with a few. Though he claimed that her blood wasn't an issue, it was possible for him to be embarrassed or angry about the way he reacted to her. He had never been so enthusiastic or overly zealous before in any way, so that may have caused him to think over things twice. She once played with the idea that it was her virginity that had turned him off. Though she'd never mentioned it or said it out loud, she was sure that he suspected it. So maybe that was what he was probably trying to avoid- being her first. Honestly, did she really think she would have been pleasurable for him? Him, the seasoned lover? She didn't think so.

Another possibility for his avoidance was possible regret for being so turned on by someone that many claimed to be below him in looks. Did she really invoke such a strong reaction that day? She knew she was a plain-looking girl compared to the kind of girls he'd been with in the past. With the exception of Pansy who had black hair, she knew that he preferred leggy blonds with plenty of cleavage. She was none of those things. So how could she have inspired that much lust from him? She didn't really think she was capable, no matter what he'd said that night. And that thought made her depressed.

But whatever the reason, his avoiding of her had made _her_ avoiding _him_ relatively easy. Despite sitting in the same classes together, neither glanced at or acknowledged the other and, once they were dismissed, each went their separate ways without further comment. And if they had to speak to each other about Prefect duties, that was the extent of it. At times, even Terry would chip in on her behalf so she didn't have to deal with him at all.

It was comforting and frustrating all at the same time. The only thing she was thankful for was that no one around her had enough nerve (sans Terry) to ask about the awkwardness or what was happening. Even Ginny seemed to have lost interest in her investigating, something that Hermione was quite relieved to know about. In fact, it seemed like the red-head missed her if her longing looks were any indication. Hermione took that as a good sign. If she understood Ginny's behaviour correctly, they were bound to mend bridges during her stay at the Weasleys. She hoped they did. She missed Ginny too.

Especially in that moment, when she wished she had someone to talk to about it all. And not just about what happened a few days ago but about _everything_. Oh, she knew that she couldn't share it all but that didn't make her wish any less that she could. Or wish that she had someone give her a solution to end the awkwardness and avoidance.

Wouldn't that be lovely?

With a deep sigh, she closed her eyes once more and pressed her forehead against the window.

No use wishing for nonsense.

* * *

After a few hours of being in the common room by herself, Hermione started to get a bit of cabin fever. It was their last day at school after all and she was spending it by herself, in her room. Pathetic.

Would it be so bad if she walked outside by the lake? Surely almost everyone was still going to be inside the Great Hall, enjoying the festivities. They usually tended to roll into the dinnertime so she highly doubted that she would have a run-in with anyone or…the blond. He was probably held up in his dorm anyway.

With her mind made up, she went to her room to put on her winter coat and scarf while stuffing her gloves and beanie into her pocket. But as she passed by her mirror, she couldn't help but do a double take and be a bit shocked by what she saw. Though she looked a little sadder than usual, she also looked thinner and had dark smudges underneath her eyes. She cringed at her reflection. She definitely did not look presentable to the public. Maybe it was a good thing that she was had stayed away. With a sigh, she made her way to the door.

She was a few more steps from exiting the castle when her plans got somewhat thwarted. Out of nowhere, a hand flashed out and grabbed a hold of one of her wrists in a hard grip. She gasped in shock from the pain but quickly it gave way to irritation once she saw who caused it. Pansy. Just who she needed to deal with in her already messed up personal life.

"What do you want?" Hermione snapped as she pulled her wrist back.

"To talk to you, _obviously_. Honestly. Did you really think I enjoyed touching you just now? Fucking repulsive," she pouted as she made a scene of wiping her hand on the front of her blouse.

"I don't have time for this," Hermione said with a shake of her head. She began to walk her towards the exit.

But before she could step out, Pansy called out, "I suppose you're proud of yourself, Mudblood."

"About what? My heritage?" she responded over her shoulder. "Yes, I have no reason to be ashamed."

Pansy sneered as she began to follow her out. "Cute. But I suggest you stop being coy. You know damn well what I am talking about."

"Actually, I don't and honestly don't care. So, if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere to be."

But before she could walk further away, Pansy grabbed her wrist again.

"You selfish whore!" she cried as she tightened her grip. "You know exactly what I'm referring to!"

"Oww! What part of 'I don't know' don't you understand?! Now release me!"

"Oh, so you're really going to deny that it's not your fault that Draco is disinherited?"

_Wait, what?_

When she didn't answer, Pansy released her and said, "Please wipe that dumbfounded look off your face. It doesn't suit you."

"What in Merlin's name are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Lucius Malfoy being so angry that Draco chose to stay with you over duty! Now, thanks to you, he might not even have a home!"

Hermione's eyes widened in shock. Didn't he say the other day that his parents didn't care about their relationship?

"How...Who told you this?"

"If you must know, my father just owled me the news. Thanks to you, you've ruined my chances with the one person that I loved and loved me back."

"I did nothing of the sort! You know as well as I do that he never loved you! In fact, the whole of Hogwarts knows it."

"Shut up!" Pansy cried, her cheeks turning red in anger. "And yes you did! You ruined my engagement and now you're ruining _his_ life! If you really care about him, you would break up with him and end your so-called relationship to save him."

"If you must know, I-"

"But of course, I already know that you won't," she went on, ignoring Hermione. "All you care about is messing with people's lives in general! Tell me, Granger, if it wasn't for your purity/good girl routine, do you really think he would have stuck with you for so long?"

"I have no such thing! There's no routine, you slag!"

"Of course there is! I'm not an idiot! Draco has needs and you being the untainted virgin must have been a major ego boost for him. Only problem is that he can't help but be addicted to your 'goodness' now. Merlin knows why that is."

Hermione blushed scarlet at her assumption. _How dare she?_

"And now, thanks to you, you've gone and destroyed him and the Malfoy name," Parkinson continued. "How very selfish and Muggle of you."

"Stop saying that! I'm not selfish!"

"It's the bloody truth! You've gotten his head so far up his arse about you that he can't even tell when he's screwing up his own life anymore!"

"He does _not_-"

"You better fix this," she interrupted again, screeching. "And you better do it now! If you really care about him, do the right thing!"

"And what's that, exactly?" Hermione finally snapped. "For me to send him back to you? He doesn't want you! Get that into your thick head!"

Pansy balled her hands into fists and they shook at her side. "Yes, he does! He just _thinks_ he doesn't!"

Hermione almost felt sorry for her, shaking her head at that reply. She took a deep breath.

"Pansy, you're with Theo now. Isn't it selfish on your part, to drag him around while you still have unresolved feelings for someone else?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but Theo knows what he got himself into by dating me."

"Either way, you're being unfair."

"So? What it's to you?"

"So, my point is that even if I did 'let Draco go', there is no guarantee that he'll go back to you. Why can't you accept that? Why can't you commit yourself to someone else? Someone that, from the looks of it, really wants you?"

At her question, Pansy's eyes watered but she said nothing. Instead, she glared as a few tears fell from one of her eyes but didn't bother to brush them away.

Both stood in the corridor, but didn't say anything else for a few seconds. Finally, with a shake of her head, Hermione spun on her heel and walked away. To her relief, Pansy didn't follow her.

Once she reached the courtyard area, her mind began to reel at what she discovered. If Pansy's news were true, Draco was being threatened with disinheritance along with being banned from his home, and all because of her!

If he knew this, why had he kept insisting that they stay together? What was the point if it was only damaging him instead of helping? Is this why he had been avoiding her? Did he think that he had failed somehow because it hadn't worked out the way he planned? Or did he honestly think that if he avoided breaking up that the threat of his father would go away?

It made no sense! Why hadn't he ended it if he had been notified of the consequences?

As all these questions whirled in her mind, she found the blond by the very lake she had wanted to walk around. With determined strides, she walked straight up to him.

Awkwardness be damned.

Caring feelings be damned.

This was important.

And if he wasn't going to fix this for his own good, then she would. She refused to be blamed for being the cause of his misfortunes, just because he feared a dent in his pride.

* * *

Draco was sitting on a boulder by the lake when she reached him. He had been there since the beginning of the festivities in the Great Hall and nobody until then had found him. He was actually pretty proud of that accomplishment. He had been having a hard time ducking away from his mates.

Despite being successful at avoiding Hermione, his friends had been a different story. He knew that they had noticed a change in him and though they hadn't asked or made comments about it yet, he knew it was only a matter of time. Therefore, that day, he decided that he would rather remove himself from them temporarily. He knew that it was a wasted effort. They were still going to ask about his whereabouts later.

But he didn't care. He felt he had made the right choice. Or he did at first, anyway.

It wasn't too bad being outside for the day. The cold air had helped clear some of his worries and though it was snowing, it wasn't too chilly. Nothing a Warming Charm couldn't fix in a second. So he put one on himself as he sat there, watching the snow fall softly onto the frozen lake.

When he saw her approach, he was actually surprised. The last couple of days had passed by without so much as a glance in each other's direction and now here she was, right in his face. She also seemed to be surprised to have spotted him but it quickly turned into defiance. Just by the look on her face, he knew that Pansy had told her about his dilemma. He frowned. Of course - that stupid, meddling harpy.

After Draco had sent his refusal to his father, he had received a reply right away. It wasn't a Howler again but just his father phrasing his disapproval...colourfully. He also mentioned that he wasn't going to hide anything from the Parkinsons and so Draco knew that Pansy would then be privy to the news as well. Needless to say, when she received her father's letter, she had cornered him to reprimand him on his choice and offered herself again. But he remained adamant with his decision and told her to get fucking lost.

After that day, he knew it was only a matter of time before she opened her big fucking mouth to Hermione. And here she was, both of them staring each other down by the lake. When neither said anything, Draco stood up and walked towards the lake's edge, turning his back on Hermione. Finally, his movement prompted her to say something.

"So when were you planning to tell me?" she asked.

"Tell you what?"

"You know what."

"Nope, sorry. You're going to have to elaborate."

"Fine. When were you going to tell me that dating me was causing you problems with your father?"

"Why should I? It's none of your fucking business."

"None of my business? Are you serious?" she asked as she pulled on his arms to turn him around. But instead, he jerked away from her.

"Sod the fuck off. I've already said it's none of your business. And I'm not in the mood to deal with you."

"No. And too bad for you because I'm not leaving," she said while crossing her arms.

"Fine. You stay here, I'll leave." He turned around to walk away. But before he could step around her, she blocked his path.

"Get out of my way."

"No."

"Granger-"

"No! Not until we talk."

"For fuck's sake! We've already made it through the rest of the week without seeing each other. Can't you just forget about the whole damn thing?!"

"No! So you better start talking!"

"Fuck this. I'm done." And he moved to the other side. But again, he was blocked.

"Is it true that your father has threatened to disinherit you because of me?"

He groaned in frustration and closed his eyes. He did not want to get into this.

"Well, did he?" she persisted.

He snapped his eyes open and closed the gap between them until they were face to face. Hermione didn't even flinch, to which he frowned.

"And if he did?" he asked in a threatening tone.

"Then break up with me. Tell him the truth."

"_No."_

"Draco, be reasonable!"

"I've already told you to shut up about this."

"Stop being so stubborn!"

"Look whose talking?!"

"Just tell him the truth! I'm not worth the trouble!" she cried out in vexation.

At her statement, he had had it. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her a little.

"Not worth the...? For the love of Merlin! I fucking love you and you say you're not worth the trouble?!"

The anger from her face slipped slowly as her eyes widened at his statement.

_Fuck! Did he just confess that he loved her?! _

"What?" she asked in a small voice.

_Damn it, he did. _He groaned.

Now that he'd confessed, he might as well give her an explanation.

"Why do you think I've been avoiding you?" he asked her while squeezing her arms slightly, almost digging his fingers into them. "It's been absolute torture wanting you and not being able to do anything about it! I know you don't reciprocate my feelings so I backed away! But you couldn't let me have some dignity, could you? Here you are, telling me to stop being with you, _demanding_ that I should do what I don't want to do! Just because you think it's the right thing. Well, I have news for you! I don't give two shits about my father's threats! He can take away my inheritance for all I care. I am so _sick_ of people telling me what I can and can't do!"

At his statement, he saw her face go from shock to…was that_ pity_?! Great, just what he fucking needed! He scowled.

"But if you insist that I should end us," he continued, "I'll do us both the favour. I'll do it. Just say the word."

She remained still, staring at him with big eyes. But she didn't say anything. His scowl intensified.

"Fine," he bit out as he released her with a slight shove, causing her to stumble. "Don't say anything, then. You've already mentioned it many times before that you want out of this. So fine. Consider this our break-up."

He turned, trying to walk away in another direction. But, once again, Hermione blocked his path.

"Don't make me shove you again," he threatened her.

"You can be so stupid at times," she replied with a huff, placing her hands on her hips.

"How so?"

"Not once have you even bothered to ask me how I feel about you."

"Because I already know the answer."

"No, actually, you don't."

"Yes, I do. I can see it on your face just now. You feel pity."

"That was not a look of pity. That was compassion."

"Didn't look like that from where I'm standing."

"So are you going to ask me, then?"

"I already said I wouldn't."

"Oh my God, just ask me already!" she snapped.

"Fine! What the hell does Hermione Granger feel for me?"

"Love!"

"Love?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes! As in I'm in love with you. I love you too, you blundering idiot!" she yelled in frustration.

At this reply, Draco's heart began to beat faster. She loved him too?!

Before she could move, he grabbed her face with his hands and kissed her soundly on the lips. From there, it proceeded to snowball into a frenzy of grabby hands and arms and violent groping of each other. Both seemed as if they were trying to get as close as possible as they panted for breath in the process. He didn't dare let go of her neck.

It wasn't until Draco pushed her to the snowy ground with him on top of her that she seemed to come back to her senses. She pushed against his chest softly, trying to look at his face. But he was having none of it and proceeded to press his lips to hers again. If she was already regretting her declaration, he wanted to get in as much as he could.

"Wait, wait," she panted, as she turned her head away.

"What?" he growled as he began to kiss her neck. When she pushed his chest again, he pulled back with a frown. But it quickly disappeared when he saw a bruise. Holy hell, she still had that on her neck?! It left him in awe.

"I just…I want to know if you meant what you said," she said, taking a deep breath.

"What part? You have to be more specific."

"About your father. Despite what we feel, I don't want to be the cause of you losing your inheritance."

"You're not. Besides, he can't do anything anyway," he replied with a smirk as he rubbed his lips against hers.

"Huh? What do you mean?" she asked while turning away. When he tried to angle his face to hers, she said, "Draco" in a warning tone. He groaned again. Leave it to her to want to have a full discussion when he had other things in mind.

"I mean that he can't even make it legal since it requires him to see his notary in person and that goblin is at Gringotts. And since he's under house arrest, he can't do shit. So no matter how much he rants or thrashes, nothing can be done. But regardless, even if he could, I still wouldn't have cared."

"And what about you being homeless?" she pressed.

"What?" He was momentarily distracted by the pink colour on her cheeks.

"Pansy said that you were also threatened to be without a home."

"Fucking Pansy," he muttered under his breath.

She raised an eyebrow at that but waited for his answer. With a deep sigh, he lifted himself a bit off from her so he could see her face.

"Yes, he's threatened that as well but he can't do that either if Mother has anything to say about it. Nevertheless, it would be a good idea to steer clear away from him at the moment."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

He then brought his lips down to her once more, kissing her softly. But before he could take it anywhere, she broke it off again.

"What the fuck do you want to know now?" he asked with a bit of irritation.

She scowled. "Is this what I have to look forward to? Hearing you drop the F-word over and over again?"

He gave her a lopsided grin. "Of course. And you know you wouldn't want it any other way."

She sniffed as she lifted her chin a little higher in indignation. Salazar help him, she looked more appetizing that way since her neck was now peeking out from her scarf. Now, all he had to-

"I was going to say," she said, cutting into his thoughts, "that since you currently have nowhere to go for the start of the holiday break, that maybe you should come with me."

"I'd gladly _come_ with you," he replied, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Not like that, you git," she snapped while blushing at his innuendo. "I meant that you are welcome to join me in Australia."

"Oh," he said. "I almost forgot." He then lifted himself off her, making his way back to the boulder he was sitting on earlier. This caused Hermione to sit up in surprise.

As he made his way back, he smirked when he saw her face and lifted the two small black backpacks higher. He knew that she hadn't seen them earlier since they were hidden on the other side of the boulder.

"Here," he said as he offered her one.

"What's this?" she asked as she unzipped it.

Her curiosity gave way to surprise as she realized that they were various items in there. Since it was charmed to be bottomless, there was a map, books with tourist information on Australia, small snacks, a few water bottles, some healing ointments and potions, and a small tent.

"I figured that you may need one of these," he said.

Hermione stared at the contents for a few more seconds before lifting her eyes to him.

"You made…a supply bag?"

"Two supply bags. I wasn't going to let you go off on your own. Besides, we can't have you sharing supplies with me now, can we?"

"I don't know what to say," she replied softly. And then she frowned. "How exactly were you going to get this to me if we continued to avoid each other?"

"Well, you did give the password to your common room."

"And you were planning on stalking me?"

"_No_, I was planning to shadow you. It's a completely different concept."

Instead of frowning at his reply, a small smile tugged at her lips as tears weld up in her eyes. She put the bag aside and stood up in front of him. Both her arms lifted and he was pulled into a tight hug.

Though she felt wonderful against him, he shifted slightly. He'd never been one for those kinds of affections.

"Alright, alright," he said while clearing his throat. "No need to get all mushy on me."

She laughed as she pulled back to wipe away some wayward tears.

"So I guess that means you are coming with me to Australia?" she asked.

He rolled his eyes. "Obviously."

"And I guess this also means we're staying together."

He gave a small chuckle. "And they say you're the brightest witch of our age."

She gave him a playful smack on his arm and he laughed. But before she could smack him again, he caught her hand and, while biting his bottom lip in anticipation, pulled her in for another kiss.

**FIN**

* * *

**A/N: Here are some replies to those Anonymous/Guest reviews!**

Guest on Chapter 3: Thank you! Glad you liked the story so far!

lovealan: Thank you for all your comments. Hope the ending was satisfying!

Guest on Chapter 6: Yes, sorry. It's only 8 chapters but I hope they were satisfying!

C.G.: Hopefully you found out the answer in Chapter 7 :D

Gee: Hope you were able to read the last couple of chapters!

Guest on Chapter 1:...is that a good whoa or a bad whoa? lol

Guest on Chapter 3: I agree ;)

Guest on Chapter 6: I'm SORRY! Cliffhanger ends in Chapter 7 :D

**Again, thank you to all of you that have read and enjoyed this story! PLEASE REVIEW! :D**


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